


Tired Wings are Falling

by Kittyinaz



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Twilight Series - All Media Types
Genre: Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Superhero Fest 2016, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-08
Updated: 2017-02-21
Packaged: 2018-08-07 08:35:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 28,147
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7708222
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kittyinaz/pseuds/Kittyinaz
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There are guardians of the Earth who have been anointed.  The problem is, neither is in the position to be where they should be without some interference in the plans of Fate.  One being steps in, and the future of the Earth becomes a lot more hopeful.<br/>Part I.  The rest won’t be out until more of the MCU is shown.<br/>Disclaimer: I own neither the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the Marvel comics, nor Twilight.  Whew.  The only thing I own is the idea behind this story.  Everything else belongs to those who own the copyrights.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Sound of Angels

 

**Pre-Edit Count – 1,406 Words**

_Song I listened to for this chapter: Hold Me Now_ by Red

* * *

 [](http://wp.me/P5eatF-6wE)

He gasps for air from the memory of the fall as he startles awake.  The pain of his severed arm causing him to go into shock as he tries to figure out what happened while trying not to move any more than necessary to try to stop the pain.

 

Flashes of moments where he was battling a hydra soldier, a blue something comes to him, and he blocked it with Steve’s shield, then he was hanging from a train as Steve tried to save him.  The next flash is the fall that he was sure was to his death and the landing.  The landing, that he remembers, the tear of his arm then the numbness of nothing.

 

Nothing else.

 

As he struggles to figure out what is happening, a glowing figure comes upon him, kneeling in front of him as it reaches a hand out, cupping his face. “Oh, my poor man.  My poor James.  What pain you have suffered, are suffering from and will continue to suffer.  Pain will be something that will be in your future for a long time, I’m afraid.” A tear, shining like the sun itself falls down the face.

Bucky stares, then asks, “Who are you?” He tries to see more details, even just to tell him whether the figure is male or female.

The head lifts enough that if he could see the eyes, they would be looking into his own.  “Someone who has hoped that what has come past wouldn’t for you.  However, I am here to offer you hope.  If you are brave enough to take it.”

Swallowing against the pain making him nauseous, he gasps, “Hope?” Why would he need hope?  What is coming that he needs hope?

The figure nods.  “If I could tell you that all your suffering in the past and in the future will cause the other half of you to come about so that the two of you will be able to save the universe itself, would you be willing to do so?”

Blinking quickly, Bucky tries to understand more.

Shaking their head, the figure informs him, “At three critical times in your future, I will come to you.  I will tell you what will happen, and you have the privilege of choosing.  To test your resolve, I will take you back to one time, and give you a choice.  The decision you make will happen either way, but you will see what I am giving you the options of doing.”

The figure stands, and waving a hand, all pain is gone for a moment, and they reach that hand down to him, “Ready?”

With a quick thought of possibilities, Bucky decides to take the hand and see what it is the being in front of him is offering.  With a flash of light, they disappear from the place of in-between where they had been talking.

* * *

Suddenly they are walking through a hospital.  They are passing rooms which are full of others reacting to whatever they are infected with, each in their own way. They stop and enter a room that is holding a young man shivering on a cot.  There are signs that there were two others with him at one point, but their beds are now empty.

The being walks to the cot while telling Bucky softly.  “We can only travel in your lifetime, luckily, you were born a year prior.”  They indicate the boy in front of them. “This is your choice; this young man will later become a supernatural creature that is only hinted at in mythology.  Many years from now he will encounter the person who is your other half.  He will hurt them, leave them comatose.  He will cause scars not only on her skin but on her heart and mind.   He will be responsible for most of the pain that you will have to fight to have your other half.” They look at him, sad for what all their chosen will have to go through, but then, they will truly understand the pain of others.  But how they wish this were not to be their future.  There was so much pain…

 

Turning their head to the boy, they continue to explain to Bucky, “Your choice is to have him die here and now before the Doctor comes in.  His family is all gone, and the doctor will take him to his home and change him to the being that I described.  Choosing for him to die now will save countless lives, since this child will go on to kill, being judge, jury, and executioner.”  They give a hard look at the boy, but they do admit some are just not suited for eternal life.  This child in front of them is a perfect example.  Deciding to judge all by his moral code, and damning anyone that wants to become as he is.  He keeps his Victorian upbringing to the point he is very mentally ill by the time he comes across the Shield.

Swallowing, thinking of how he might be judged for fighting in the war, Bucky asks, “And the other side of the coin?” He couldn’t decide on just what the young man’s actions do, without knowing what the boy dying will change in the future.  He needs the whole picture.

Unseen by him, the being smiles, still facing the young boy on the cot as they answer him. “Without the child doing everything I said, your other half will never survive to be at your side in the future.  She will not have the chance since he kills another who tries to kill her.  He, also by leaving the scars behind, will cause her to transform to be able to stand at your side as an equal in the end.” The last is said, but with a sad look on her face.  She tries to console herself that both will gain from all of this, but she still feels like this trial by fire they will both have to suffer through is more than needed.

However, they are not the one that can change that without the two key players making those decisions.  Free will is stronger than any can ever imagine, it is one of the strongest and most powerful things in the universe.  It can change the fate of planets no matter what has been written in the stars to happen.  This is why they are offering these choices to Bucky.  Hoping that he understands, and he will take decisions more gravely from now on.

Sighing, Bucky rubs his remaining hand over his face, after flinching from the loss of his arm.  “Is this what you are asking of me?  To make a choice that may save people, especially someone that I may care deeply for in the future, pain?  But on the other hand, I lose out?” He looks at them, torn.  He may want this future woman, but to make so many suffer for that feels so wrong.  He cannot make that choice.  That is not the man he is.

The figure turns around to face him, “No.  I am asking you to make a choice for the sake of the universe.  Your choices will affect others outside of this world.  I am showing you an easy version of what you will be doing if you take me up on this opportunity.” And as they said, this is set in stone, this one choice.  But they want him to really understand what is at stake.  What better way than to give him this trial?  Bucky can ask his questions, he can know whatever he wishes to ask of them, and all that needs to really hinge on what his choices can do.

An ironic laugh comes out of the brunette’s mouth. “Opportunity?  What Opportunity?  You condemn this young man because he will be judge, jury, and executioner.  Is that not what you want me to do?  You are telling me of what will happen if I allow him to die.  Then you tell me of what personally will happen to someone I will care about if I allow him to live.” His heart is breaking, for how can he decide to hurt someone that will mean as much as this being is implying?  He would rather have her happy, and never meet him.  For he is not sure what is to come, not when they mentioned that there was nothing but pain in his future.  What can he offer someone after he goes through what is to come?

When he can feel an answer coming from them, he waves his hand as he admits, “You are telling me more, but honestly, you are trying to make it personal.  Tell me, besides what would happen to this person in the future that you say is coming, what makes his life that important to have this choice?”  What isn’t the being telling him?

Shaking their head, the being answers, “His life is the one that will change the future to make it possible for much goodness to come.” It is the simple answer for what is to come.  For without this young man, so much will never come to pass.  Particularly for the events that lead to where they are now.  Which is why there is no chance that the future will allow his fate to change.

Sighing, Bucky answers them, “And if he dies?”  He is tired of the side remarks.  He needs the truth about what all will happen if he allows this person to die to save the future person that will mean so much to him.

“That chance will not happen.” The words are simple, but the meaning is not so straightforward.

Bucky turns away and looks out the window to the city around the hospital, as he tries to make a choice on what is to happen. “This is the only way that chance can happen?  You are affecting time to get this opportunity, can you not do the same to make what is supposed to occur in the future, happen?” ‘ _Do I have to make this choice to hurt people’_ is the real question he is asking.

The being laughs lightly, not bothering to correct the falsehood that he has said. “No.  I cannot affect anything in the future of you or of the person to come, directly like that.  I cannot stop what is to come for you, nor can I do anything to make their future any different besides telling you the choices. Fate is fickle, and has laid down the law on what I can, or cannot do.  In fact, only on this one time can I even enter the past with you.  After this, I will come to you and tell you what your actions will cause and answer questions you have like I have done here.  And you will choose from those facts then and there.” If he could actually see their eyes, he would see the sadness of knowing that the first choice will be particularly hard for him.

Closing his eyes, Bucky sighs. “Then what real choice do I have?  If it were up to me, I would have him die here and now.  But instead, for the sake of the ‘universe’,” this last is said bitterly, “I choose to let him live.  And I hope that I can be forgiven for it.” He tries to send a prayer to have the woman waiting at the end of this, as well as himself, forgive him for this decision.

The relief the being feels is immense.  This was a test, one that they are finally seeing how much their warrior is the one they have been waiting for, has passed. With this, there is actually hope for the small planet, as well as the universe as they know it, to survive.

They take the remaining hand of Bucky and take them both back to that time, that place in-between that Bucky is in for now.  Leaving In their wake, a young man gasping as the door opens and a golden headed being comes in, his mind in chaos as he decides to follow through on the young Mason’s mother’s request. Hoping this would not be a mistake as it had been to help with a young scientist once upon a time.

 

* * *

With a flash of light, they appear back in the place.  Keeping in mind what was to come, and how much their warrior may need help to pass the next while, the being steps away.  “For making the right choice, I am able to grant a boon.” This may seem small in comparison of what is to come, but it might be able to save more of the young warrior in front of her.

Bucky looks over at them, his heart heavy for what he has just done, subjecting those countless lives to death because of his choice. What kind of boon can make up for all those lives?

Seeing the pain on his face, the figure steps closer.  “The choices you make will be harder, often personal.  But they will be your choice.  I also will partition away part of you to be hidden from the mind games you will be subjected to shortly.  Later on, this boon will help you.  But as I have mentioned before, you will suffer more than any other before on your Earth.  You will do things that will cause you to question yourself. Right now I tell you, that you will not be able to stop much from happening.” Their voice is sad as they tell their Warrior this information.

Taking a deep breath, Bucky nods. He will take anything to help him get through what was causing this being such grief as they tell him of the future he is going to have.

With a last caress of his face, the being creates a wall in his head, making it so his mind, the real part of him rests there, away from what is going to happen to him.  He will find there are consequences for it, but it is the only way to have him save the core of himself from being torn from him. To have him able to fight in the future the brainwashing they are going to make him go through sooner than later.

He will need it.

* * *

Final count: 2,417

**Fairfarren~**


	2. Bury the Pain

 

**Pre-Edit Count – 1,529 Words**

_Song I listened to for this chapter: It Is What It Is_ by Lifehouse

* * *

_Previously:_

_With the last caress of his face, the being creates a wall in his head, making it where his mind, the real part of him, rests there, away from what is going to happen to him.  He will find there are consequences for it, but it is the only way to have him save the core of himself from being torn from him. To have him able to fight in the future the brainwashing they are going to make him go through soon and later._

_He will need it._

_Now:_

* * *

 

Not knowing how much actual time has passed, the being known as Bucky screams behind the partition that the being had given him.   He watches as his mind and body are tortured and then made to follow the orders of HYDRA.  To him, it has seemed as though years have passed, but for all he knows, it could be on a day or so.

The drugs they had given him before Steve had freed him the first time from his brainwashing and torture had made him stronger and given him a better constitution than a normal human. They had been painful and at the very least you could call them inhumane.  But he had been glad to have them so that he could keep up with his longtime friend.

Now?  Now it is pure pain and torture that they put his body through.  Between the treatments and the brainwashing shock treatments, Bucky soon finds himself hiding more and more behind the curtain that hid his real self. The alternative was enough to frighten him since he could feel parts of himself starting to slip away before he started using the partition.

The only bad thing is that the more he hides, the more the curtain becomes less malleable.  But he has no other recourse if he wants to be who he had been in the past when his freedom came.  He had to decide to finally hide and end up watching everything his body did without being able to affect it except in the very slightest bit.  Or losing this last portion of himself.

Soon, as time passed, the hope that the being had given him was the one thing helping him maintain his sanity and to stay behind the curtain.  There were times when he had been frozen and was coming out, that he wondered if it was worth staying sane.

As they train him and start sending him out on missions, he finds himself shocked at the brutality that he did.  Often Bucky hid behind the curtain any time he found himself killing in cold blood.  He might have fought in a war, but he never assassinated someone like he was seeing the other side of himself, the Winter Soldier as they called him, do.  He watches his body as the Winter Solider murder others, as he himself cries as he kills the best and brightest in the world.

However, during this time, as the killings are getting worse, Bucky wonders when the choices will come that the being had promised him.  So far the things the Winter Soldier has done has made him wonder what could be more important for him to have a choice in their lives when he is killing so many.

Closing his eyes behind the partition, Bucky Bangs against the thick curtain. For God’s sake, he has killed presidents, priests, scientists.  Mothers, Children and so many more.  How can there be any other choices or even people that can make more of a difference than these?  Then the innocent bystanders that their only sin was that they either see him, or someone else that never wanted anyone to know how dirty their hands really were!

 

Bucky can feel his very soul is crying in pain for the lives he has taken.  He knows that it is the other side of him, but it is his hands which are coated in red.  It is his face that is often the last thing many of these people see.  With this in mind, Bucky retreats even more behind the curtain, sick at heart for the pain he is causing.

* * *

Time passes… Missions come and go as Bucky retreats more into his haven from the terror he wreaks on the world.  Then comes a mission that makes him pay more attention.  He is woken from Cryo to a bunch of men he has never seen before.  No matter, they have the code words that activate the Winter Soldier and will make him into the assassin that has driven Bucky into impassivity so that he just watches the world pass but tries not to take note of anything any longer.

They start giving the orders, and as usual, Bucky is behind the curtain watching as he normally does when they program him.   He has no idea who the target is, no longer is he given the names since it won’t help him find the objectives. Too often lately, they tell him where the Winter Soldier needs to be, and just show him who he is killing with pictures.

It is easier on everyone since names can be changed easily.

But what makes Bucky pay more attention is that these pictures look hauntingly familiar.  Like he is seeing a shadow of someone he had known in that past life where he had choices.  The life that felt like a dream as more and more time passes.

So on this mission, Bucky is actively watching as the Winter Soldier runs a car off the road, then goes to kill the driver and passenger as he had been commanded to do.  Then everything stops as he realizes who it is that he has in his hands.

 

Howard Stark.

The being comes to him and sighs.  “James, it is time.” She is sad, having seen all that their Warrior has been through.  They also know that they had come to the point that Bucky might have given up.  To watch as he killed another that they knew, well this is why Bucky had to be presented with a choice.

He needs to know that the deaths serve an actual purpose than just what HYDRA wants.  More than the petty whims of those that have control over the Winter Soldier.  That this death is more than it seems.

Otherwise, he will fade away, and they might not be able to retrieve that part of him. Ever.  And this world, and therefore the universe will die.

Finding himself free for once in the hell that he has been in, Bucky turns to look at her, realizing only at that moment that he is not in the body that is holding Howard when he sees the Winter Soldier, frozen at that moment, still holding Howard by the back of his neck.

“Why now?” the pain in his voice is enough to make the being face him. Why now does he have to watch the being that inhabits his body kill one of the few people that he liked and got along with in the hell that was the War?

Softening in their bearing, the figure answers him, “Because the choices impact you.  Only when they affect you or your other half directly will they have a chance to be decided upon.” And this is one of those times that it will impact them both significantly.  Though in the future, this will complicate much, it will also allow them to meet.

Tears spill down Bucky’s face as he looks at the man the Winter Soldier is holding in his hand.  “What is the choice here?  What impact would it truly have if I let my old friend live?” He stretches his hand towards the man demandingly.  He is angry but so very tired of trying to fight what has been happening to him.  Is this just another means to break him?

Shaking their head, the being softly reveals to him, “It is not just Howard you have to choose on, it is his wife also.” A tear slips down the being’s face, knowing how much this is tearing him apart.  But he needs to understand!

His head falls forward, his hand running through the hair. that on this being is as short as when he fell from that train all those years in the past, as he awaits the details.  He desperately hangs onto his own perception of what he looks like as another way to differentiate himself from that being that he detests using his body.

Knowing what he is waiting for, the glowing woman reports the facts to him, “They have a son in college and who will suffer from this death, becoming more of a playboy than he is now.  He will end up continuing his father’s work in the weapons fields until the day he is injured and kidnapped.  Then the sheer brilliance of the man, who in fact exceeds your friend, his father’s, intelligence, will forge a way to escape, as well as shaping the world with his actions.  He will also end up fighting against you.” She says the last to make sure that he fully understands what he will be making if he completes this mission.

His head still down as he can feel the tears falling off his nose, Bucky clenches his hands, but waits, remembering last time. There is always more.  There is the other side of the equation he remembers.

“All of this will never come about if Howard and his wife live. Their son will never become a man haunted by the pain of what this moment will cause.”  She pauses, then continues, “However, their deaths will save millions of lives in New York City.  Their deaths will make it so others will take up the work they started and try to make it better. But their deaths will allow HYDRA more of a foothold in the governments of the world.” The death of these two will affect so much of the world and what is to come that it is, in fact, a pivotal point in history.  But without the pain that will come, the future will have no chance.

Closing his eyes, Bucky swallows as his mind does the math.  Yes, he will be making an enemy, one that will be fully justified in **he** made the choice to kill his parents.  But the other side is that his home city, the home to what will come to hold millions of lives, will die because he could not stand the pain of allowing his alter ego to carry on with his mission.

As he had said before, the lives of the many versus the few, are what he has to choose for.  If he allowed the woman he will come to know as his other half pain and misery, how can he save himself from the same?

With that in mind, Bucky answers the demand of the being, “I must allow this to carry through.”  His voice is broken, as is the man in front of the being. He wanted nothing more than to curl up and cry, but he gets it.  This is why he needed to make the choice.  He needed to know this will make it possible to save lives by killing his friend.

Seeing this, the being’s heart breaks, but she tells him, “It is up to you.  This action will make it possible for you to find your other half.  It will also cause much pain for many who know about it.  For Steve, the son of the Starks and for your other half.  But without it, so much will never happen.” She wants him to understand, but she also hates causing him this pain.  The choice is truly his, if he wishes fate to be changed, she will do so for him.

Bucky shakes his head, then turns to head back into his body, only pausing as the figure tells him softly, “For you, it will not be long now.  The next two decisions will be close to the time for you to be free.” She needed to give him something, to allow him some hope for an ending to the pain and misery.

He had paused for her words, then Bucky nods, acknowledging her as he heads back to his hell on earth.  For he will stand by and watch every moment to come, no hiding from the results of his decision.

So Bucky flinches as he sees Stark recognize who he is, but continues to watch what happens.  Then when the Winter Soldier hesitates in killing Mrs. Stark, Bucky finds the strength from somewhere to manage to break through as he asks the wife of his friend, “Would you want to live if it costs millions of lives?” He cocks his head to the side to see if she would choose as he did.

She stares into his eyes, noticing the dead look, then she closes her own, waiting for the moment.  At that moment both she and Bucky no longer know what happens for a while.  The difference is that only one of them is able to wake up later.

* * *

 

For the next long while, Bucky remains in the background, his moment of taking over his body managing to take more out of him that he knew.  In fact, the next time he surfaces is when the being comes and asks for him.

As he awakens, the memories of the Winter Soldier rush through him, and he shudders in pain at the death and destruction that he had been doing, as he trains others to become like him.  He sees the woman his body has taken as part of their training, stealing something from them and himself.  He never wanted to use a woman like that, and now he has to live with the fact that he has taught a woman how to kill using seduction, and to make sure that they understand that there is nothing romantic in sex.

As he looks out of the eyes of the Winter Soldier, this time, he finds himself looking down at a redhead protecting his current target.  Her face seems familiar, but as part of those memories that he is now ashamed that his body had been part of, he shies away from it.

Instead, Bucky steps out of the body, turning to look up at the being, waiting for their information.  He didn’t trust himself to do anything else.

It’s heart breaking for the man he is now, the being reports to him softly, “The target will die either way.  But you have a choice in killing the woman.” Looking at him, they are now doubting that fate has made the right decision in allowing this all to happen.  How could this help?  It is tearing him apart, for he is basically a man of honor and there has been precious little honor in what he has been ordered to do.

 

They turn to look over the edge at one of the others who will stand by their Warrior’s side, they continue briefing him, “The woman is someone who, in her own words, has too much red in the ledger.  Killing her now will not save many lives, no she has already in her young life killed thousands.  In fact, she still lies, steals, cheats, and does whatever she can to carry out her missions.” The lady wants to smile at the woman below. The Black Widow is one who is trying to change her life around, thanks to the friendship of the man who had been sent to kill her.  Their friendship will be the cornerstone that holds through the trouble to come.

Bucky laughs dryly, “In other words, she is another me.” He keeps looking down at the scene, wondering what had happened for it to come to this.  But he can see that she is trying to protect, not kill.  This resonates with him.

With a slow nod, the being informs him, “At the same time, she is one of the people who save those millions in New York City.  She is also very loyal to those who win her trust.  Her abilities end up helping protect Stark’s son, as well as his love.  She is also one of the few who stand up to injustice, even if it incriminates herself.  She will help you directly, after opposing you.”  This woman works harder than any that she has ever seen to make up for the past.  She would be a great example for her warrior that one can overcome the past.

Looking at the woman, Bucky has to admit that she looks familiar.  “Have I met her before?” He doesn’t want to examine the memories that will tell him more, they tear at the very core of himself.

The figure answers him, “She was trained in the Red Room.” She knows why he is asking, but she will not lie.  For in time, he will remember everything he has done to Natasha.  Luckily, she does not remember Bucky in the painful memories.  No, those are reserved for those that took away so much with their perverted graduation.

He closes his eyes in pity for the young woman, as a few memories flash in his mind of what goes on in the Red Room, as well as a few memories of the woman herself.  But he makes his decision.  “She lives.”  She is trying to fix the red in her ledger, and he will give her that chance.

Bucky also hopes that she is able to gain the retribution that he never feels he is able to receive for what he has done to her and others like her.

* * *

Bucky remains awake behind the eyes of the Winter Soldier, preferring to see what the Winter Soldier does than remember it in a flood of memories.  He also takes note of the things he is taught from time to time, thinking that he will need it soon since the being had told him that his time would be soon to be free.

As she had promised, for him the third time is after he had been battering the walls down, trying to save his best friend.

 

Bucky had started to break free earlier when his alter-persona begun remembering on its own the truth.  Then they had put him back under and tore the memory away.  He had barely gotten behind the curtain before the pain erased him.

Now as they fight, Bucky is screaming inside of his own head to stop, to not kill Steve.

Never Steve.

The figure appears, then smiles at him. “I suspect that this one will be easy for you to decide.” The being is relieved that this is the final time, that after this choice, he will be in more control than he has been for decades.  This is the beginning of the end for the Warrior.  Not much longer and he will be entirely free of these shackles that he has suffered underneath.

Before they can go into what he thinks are the facts he turns to her and demands, “Is it HIS life?  Then I will always choose his life.  Even if it costs me mine.” Bucky wants to grab the woman and shake her to make her see that it won’t matter what, he will choose Steve.  For Steve is doing the same right now for him.

Smiling the being advises him, “It is if you wish to try to save him, knowing that you will be hunted.” They knew this will happen, but it needed to be done.  Bucky had to choose this route that is coming.

Shaking his head, Bucky declares to her, “No, _you_ don’t understand.  I don’t care who dies, or suffers or anything like that.  Steve has always stood by me, as I have him.  He has gone to extremes to save me and still is.  The choice is always him!” Nothing else will suffice.

They nod, telling him, “Then your choice is made.   And you are free.” She waves her hand, merging the Winter Soldier and Bucky into one being in their minds.  It will take some time for them to balance it out, but Bucky will conquer his mind and start the process of making it all his own.

When he looks up at them in shock at realizing he is in his body over Steve, in control of it, the being warns him, “Until you meet your other half, your mind will be susceptible to attacks and their control.  But you make the decisions now.  You are in control for the most part. I suggest you leave and find yourself.  To remind yourself of who you are and merge the two personalities.  You will need the training and information that the Winter Soldier learned.” The figure is trying to make it easier for him.  So much more is to come, and he will need the peace for what he has been told.  It will make a difference.

Stepping to him, the figure solidifies more, showing her female body as she says to him, “My warrior, your shield is coming.  You will feel the pain of being controlled again, but otherwise, it will not make the final piece come into place.  I gift you with the rewards you have earned to be unlocked by your Shield.” With that, she gives him a kiss on his brow, and whispers “Good Luck.” As she disappears.

Bucky is in control, and he works to save Steve, then leaves to do as she advised.  Work to find himself again, start the healing progress.

* * *

Final count: 3,633

**Fairfarren~**


	3. The Past Is Gone

 

**Pre-Edit Count – 1,920 Words**

_Song I listened to for this chapter: Dream on_ by Aerosmith

* * *

_Previously:_

_Bucky is in control, and he works to save Steve, then leaves to do as she advised.  Work to find himself again, start the healing progress._

_Now:_

* * *

_After Captain America: Civil War ends…_

 [](http://wp.me/P5eatF-6wE)

At another spot in the world at a later time, a brunette woman wakes to get ready for her own change in life. After her shower, looking into the mirror, Bella decides that it is time to finally pay those dues. She owes so much to so many for taking time out of their lives to make sure she has a chance to live hers.  So in fact, it is past time to pay those dues.

With those thoughts, Bella remembers the past couple of years that have become her own personal hell on earth.

First was the Cullen’s leaving and her falling apart at being left.  She had a family that she had finally fit in with for the first time in her life, and to have that brutally ripped away had made her comatose.  It was as if they had died with the chance Bella had of finding them in the future. It had been shock and mourning mixed up, along with the fact that she had become sick with the time spent out in the woods until Sam found her.

That had lasted only so long until the Lady came to her.  She had warned Bella that life doesn’t stop because of a boy leaving her.  Nor if they take a family away.  And soon she will see what them leaving her really had done to her. She had seemed sad, as she had cupped her Shield’s face before leaving.  The pain that this young woman will be suffering from is only starting.

A week later, Bella woke screaming due to the pain she was feeling.  Charlie ran into the room, having not ever heard this type of cry from her before.  Looking at Bella grasping her wrist as she screams, he tried to pull her hand away, only to back away in shock as the skin around her scar is literally bubbling. It never stopped, and the feeling of her skin actually bubbling and bursting to only regrow and have it continue is one Bella will never forget.  She really didn’t think anyone could.

Charlie had rushed her to the hospital, only to find that nothing could be done. Nothing the Doctors could do would stop it.  They had come to the conclusion that _maybe_ amputating her arm above the bubbling may help, and even then, they were not sure what had caused the reaction much less if that would stop it.

It had only been chance that had Sam coming in for a friend that was being treated there instead of the reservation clinic and heard her screaming, and smelled with the stench of what caused her skin to bubble like that allowing her some relief. He, acting on instinct, grabbed her wrist and spit upon it.  Amazingly that had caused whatever had resulted in the bubbling around her scar to desist.

Trying to explain to a bunch of doctors what had happened had not been easy, and finally involved a visit by some strangers to make their inquiries into it to desist.  And that had not come until much later!

So Bella had been able to go home only after her father pulled rank.  Unfortunately, the bubbling of her skin would come back.  There was scar damage around the original teeth marks, and only when unable to cope with Bella in so much pain, did Charlie call the only man in their family that may have answers.

When he had come out and seen the damage and suffering that his family member was in for himself, he had quickly sprang into action, determined to save the great niece of his dead wife.  With the work of his labs, along with Sam breaking the laws of the tribe and telling this stranger what was going on, did they manage to get a way to not only help stabilize Bella but to also start healing the damage so it was not easily as seen by ordinary humans.

It was the uncle who had called on some old contacts in SHIELD to get them to stop the doctors harassing the Swans on what had happened in the hospital.  He didn’t need anyone inquiring too much about what was going on with the risks that he had been apprised of.

 

Her great uncle had also reached out to Professor X to see if the Beast could come help them figure out what was going on.  Only after he come out, had he suggested another scientist. The other scientist had to be reached, and until then, the Beast and her Great Uncle had worked off and on trying to figure out what was going on with Bella.  They had quickly ruled out some type of mutation that the X-Men were familiar with.

 

For one thing, it seemed that the bubbling of her skin was not the only thing changing on her.  Her entire DNA was changing as well, but slowly.  Very, very slowly, and there was every chance that instead of her arm killing her, the changes would instead. With the information they had, they realized that it was as if the venom was trying to change her.  And per their studies of her changes, it had been happening since the bite, but for some reason only started on the outside of her body with the area around the scar.  Beast was especially puzzled since, per what she had told them, and the tribal records, her skin should have turned harder instead of bubbling.

* * *

It was during this time, Charlie had gotten an odd phone call, from a Mr. Colton, commenting that a relative of Renee’s had been unearthed, and wanted to get to know his family in this time. It had gained his interest since he was aware that one of the things that had hurt Bella was the loss of the Cullen family dynamic.  And with all the new things that they were finding out about her and what was happening with her body, well, frankly, Charlie hoped this might help cheer his daughter up.

Despite the wording being odd on the request, Charlie had informed the polite man on the phone that Renee was no longer with them, she had disappeared in the last year.  But her daughter was there, and he would ask if she wanted to meet the man. He had gotten the information, then headed off to the lab that had been built for the study, and hope, of finding a solution to what was wrong with Bella.

Hearing the information, Bella had checked with her great uncle, and with some vials of the newest batch of serum, made her way to New York City to meet this new family member.  She had been eager to meet this relative, and to see if someone might be more like her than the rest of the family.  And frankly, she too had been curious about the wording of the person who had called.  Knowing his family in this  _time_?

 

So she had made her way eagerly to New York and had been waiting in the atrium of Stark Tower for Mr. Coulson to tell her who this relative was or even where she would meet them. Only to have her bad luck follow her and have the city attacked by aliens.  

Aliens!

Like the supernatural world wasn’t enough, now there were aliens in the mix.

Luckily the Avengers had been in the city and ended up saving the world.  And Bella had found her new relative as no other than Captain America.

Coulson had managed to call her before the invasion to tell her some more information, as well as the name of her relative, Steve Rogers.  The name had seemed familiar to Bella, but she never put two and two together until the two of them had been shocked when he had found her in the lobby of Stark’s building, hiding from what had been happening with some small children behind her under the sturdiest desk that she could find to protect them.  It had been that moment when she blurted out, “Steve Rogers is you?” that things started to make sense.  Captain America was truly a man out of time, and it would explain why he would want to meet family and know them in this time.

 

Unable to help himself, Steve had laughed, saying that being danger magnets seemed to be family traits. He had helped the children out of their hiding places, escorting them all out of the building and making sure the children were safe. All the while telling her of the information Steve had literally gotten a file of before all this had happened.  He had seen a picture of her as well as the information  that she was the last known relative of his.

Then Steve had been sad to hear that Colton had arranged for Bella to meet Steve, to hopefully give him more incentive to live in these times.  The great man had tried, and with that in mind, Steve had put Bella up in his apartment, then taking care of the business of Loki before taking some time to meet his new family.

He had smiled on the way to that meeting, hoping that it may help him.  It did, and he spent a long time with Bella before she had to head back to Forks for them to find out why the serums that she had been given were no longer working as well.

But the two once strangers had bonded well over the month that she had spent with him.  It made a lasting impression on the super soldier and the danger magnet that would help change all their lives later.

* * *

All in all, it had been a momentous year for them all.  The Bright Lady or as Steve and her Great Uncle (aka Uncle since he told her frankly that great made him feel too old) called her, BL, had come many times to start teaching Bella ways to use what was happening to her to her benefit.  She educated her in Bella’s mind and dreams, the abilities her so-called shield could do.

Bella had thought this was sometime in the future that she would use those skills and so never tried them in the times between the dreams and times she meditated for her training by this mysterious woman who seemed to care greatly for her.

 

During the time that Bella had returned from meeting her new relative, Bella met two of Steve’s friends who had started to work with her on fighting.  Steve had been frank in that if she was as much a danger magnet as he was, and in fact, he had teased her she was worse since he had only seemed to get in fights all the time, she brought it to a new level with messing with the supernatural! He had thought that Bella needed to learn how to protect herself.

So once Nat and Clint had started training her, Bella quickly found a lot of her balance issues that seemed to have disappeared sometime since the Cullen’s left.  She also learned to trust her body and gained a lot of self-confidence in herself thanks to Nat’s personal talks as well as Clint’s support of her attempts in learning new skills.

Imagine all of their shock when Bella screamed one day when she moved the wrong way and an arrow that had been shot away from her was now heading directly for her.  She had no time to do anything once she realized what had happened, so she threw her arm out to attempt to take the arrow in her arm instead of allowing the shot to land in her torso.  Instead of the pain Bella expected, she opened her eyes to find that she had stopped an arrow being fired at her in midair.  In fact, she was to find out from Clint and Nat that it had bounced off something surrounding her.

With experimentation, they started to work with this shield that surrounded her, to see what exactly she could do.  A lot of the things that the BL had her working on, suddenly made sense as they worked in the real world.  Nat and Clint were especially inventive with ways to get it to activate until Bella could call forth the power at will.

After the Sokovia Incident, Clint and Nat came back to train with her.  Clint had informed her that he was thinking of retirement and wanted to make sure that she was safe before he decided.  Clint, Natasha, and Steve had never wanted anyone, outside of Fury, to know that they were helping Captain America, and after they had found out about her shield, they refused to tell the man about it at all.

 

So it had been a surprise when the Scarlet Witch and Vision had shown up.  It seemed that Vision had seen something in Ultron’s mind at the end about her and wanted to meet the woman.  He also had a feeling that she would be important, but didn’t tell anyone else about that.  Instead, their appearance allowed them to find out another aspect of her shield, that she could even keep them out of her head without even trying to keep her thoughts private.  Soon that included others around her, but it was harder than even keeping the physical shield up.  They had only chances at practicing that when Vision and Wanda could leave the building. It had not been often since it seemed more trouble was coming.

During this time, even her Uncle had to leave to deal with something that came up in his old company.  He had kept in touch with her, and she had been amused by the videos he sent her of his new protégé.  It had been amusing as the Beast had kept up their work with Bella who was getting quite the education in genes and genetics from him.

Working with the Beast and other scientists worked since she couldn’t really attend college at thiat point, but working with the world famous scientists had her mind entertained.  But with her knowledge, limited as it was from not being actually changed and been given second-hand information, combined with these two prominent scientists that gave them some idea of what was happening.  The only thing that Hank and her Uncle had come up with was the venom from the bite in her arm was mutating her genes as they would if she was becoming a vampire.  That is as far as they could get at that point, beyond using the Shifter’s blood and saliva in increasing amounts to help maintain a level of pain for Bella that she could manage with.

In fact, it had been the Lady coming to her a month ago, with the idea to have her Uncle compare her blood to Steve’s.  It might open up some new ways to find a solution.  For, while they have slowed down, the spread of whatever it was had not been completely stopped.  It had coincided with the finding of the scientist that the Beast had recommended helping them solve this mystery.  It seemed that the scientist had been known to make breakthroughs in the past.  It was only due to Bella’s connection to Steve that she believed she knew who the stranger was.

It was now a race, to see if they could find the solution before Bella passed away.  The only hope they all had was the BL’s insistence that they would locate the solution.  She didn’t know what it was, but that they would find it.  She had given all the information she had unearthed about the solution; it was up to them now.  Not that she wouldn’t stop looking, of course.

Steve, then later her uncle’s protégé, had left to deal with some issues that had come out of the events in Sokovia as well as the new loss of life for civilians.  Bella had watched with the world what little they were able to learn, with her Uncle only being able to add a little to the footage.  She had been upset at the unfairness of it all, but then, she knew most of the players on a personal level that they world didn’t.

So it had been with happiness when Steve had called to tell Bella to take the team working on her serum and make their way to him.  The King of Wakanda, after hearing what Steve had to say about Bella, had in fact given her his personal invitation to come as his guest. He had also asked for the most updated information they had on what had been done so far to be sent to him for him to give to the King and his scientists to work on to see if they may see something different.  Also, it was where the newest scientist that as now working on her file was hiding from the world to help her out.

* * *

Still looking at herself in the mirror, Bella shook her head as she thinks on what had brought her to this day. For Bella is getting up for the last time in Forks.  Her father will take her to Port Angeles where she will board a private plane that holds her Uncle, his daughter, and his new protégé.  From there they will take off and land in Wakanda in a few hours.

Staring in the mirror, Bella can see some differences not only in her eyes but all over.  Thanks to all the training she has been undergoing, her body is more fit than ever before.  Also, her personal appearance has changed over time as well. Her face and body have changed in ways that only could be attributed to the venom and its changes.  But luckily they had been slow, allowing for the people in town to not notice as much.  Though if they looked at photos of her later, they would know something had happened. Of course, her self-confidence has helped make that change even harder to see since she acts differently as well.

Smiling at herself, Bella makes her way out of the bathroom, and once she is dressed for the day, makes her way downstairs where her stuff is, smiling at her Dad. She and Charlie had gotten closer.  Knowing that Bella might actually die from the bite on her arm had awakened his mind to what priorities should come to mind.  They spent many weekends together, hiking when she was physically able to do so without them worrying about a broken leg. There had not been much else for the two of them to do, for Bella still hated fishing, and there is no way, even with her improved balance, that Charlie would take her again after the last time.

In fact, it is only now with Bella heading out to find a solution, did they plan to separate.  As Charlie had told her, it is her right to go forward in her life.  To have some adventures in life on her own.  They had sat down one weekend and just talked.  Charlie had asked that she call him and communicate with him, but other than that, he was really looking at this as her heading off on her own.  Every child does it at some point in their life, and he is accepting that this is that time for her.

Plus, with Captain America being with her, he has no worries over her safety. Even being the Danger Magnet.  He had teased her mercilessly about it, but had told her that he trusts Steve to help her, but if she ever needed him, just let him know, and he would be there as soon as he could be.  He loved her, and it was only that love that allowed him to let her go forward to her own life.

 

As Bella sits down at the kitchen table, Charlie ruffles her hair as he puts the plate of bacon, egg, and sausage down in front of her.  Her plate is double the size of his, but Charlie knows that she will finish all of it, and probably need to eat another full meal just like it in an hour or so if she doesn’t snack on some high carbs.  Her body was killing calories at an unbelievable pace, so they had learned what to eat for Bella.  She had joked that the Wolves had nothing on her.

Indeed, they didn’t. She ate three times the amount of food that they did, and only if she wasn’t in training or something like that.  It had taken a long time for them to find out what could help her out, as well as her having a drink that she had to take three or four times a day.  It was chock full of the things that they had determined her body used the most of so that there was no damage from her body trying to get what it needed from itself.

While they eat they joke and tease each at the around at the table. After the two of them clean up their dishes they grabbed the last minute things.  Charlie also left the room so he didn’t have to watch Bella inject the daily serum into her arm that will keep her from convulsing. He had hated watching her, the pain of knowing that the serum only prevented convulsions at this point and did hardly anything for the pain made him feel his failures of the past.  No parent wants to know their child is in that much pain.

Ever.

Shortly they are in the police cruiser on the road to the airport.  Charlie looks over at Bella, remembering a trip coming the opposite way when she had moved in with him a couple of years ago.  How much has changed in that small amount of time.  Some good, but mostly bad for his daughter.

Trying to get his mind off that, Charlie clears his throat, but before he can say anything, Bella quickly turns to him and tells him, “Nope.  Na-uh.  No last words, I love you, kiddo or whatever you were going to say.  I am off to get a solution for all this crap, and hopefully, help someone else.” She herself had remembered the same time as her father, and the last thing that she wanted to think about was the goodbye at the end of the trip.

A soft smile lights his face, then he asks with an eyebrow cocked, “Did you tell anyone else about what the BL said?” Charlie hoped that Bella would listen.  He didn’t want her to spend her life lonely.  To him, it seemed there was hope on the horizon.  If only she would stop being so stubborn.

Looking out the window Bella shakes her head, “No.” Nope. Not going to talk about this with her emotionally stunted father.

“Bel-“

“ _NO_ , Dad.  I will do as she said, and help Steve’s buddy out.  I will do everything she asked of me, but I will not go in hoping for my soulmate or whatever she calls him.” She dares not even dream of this being a happy ever after.  She will be just happy enough to be without pain.  And to know Steve better.

Charlie softly replies, “Your Warrior.” To him, it fit.  The Shield and her Warrior.  And he noticed that whenever Bella told him of the BL talking to her about this, it was always _her_ warrior.

An irritated noise comes from Bella, interrupting his thoughts.  Charlie chuckles, “I know the Cullen boy made it so you don’t want a relationship, but really Bells, you need to give the guy a chance.”  He turns away as he mutters under his breath, knowing she will hear anyways, “Goodness knows you haven’t given any of the other guys a chance.” He thinks of the men that had come around, as well the phone calls for dates that Bella had turned down.

Bella turns her head around quickly, “I told you Clint was married!” She picks the one person that might have her dad leaving this all alone.  For that still amuses all of them that Charlie had pushed her towards Clint as a possible match.

Flushing red, Charlie defends himself, “How was I supposed to know that!” He swallows, wishing she would forget one of the few, and the last in fact, times that he had tried to give input into her dating someone.

Rolling her eyes as she turns to watch the scenery go by, she informs him, “He was double my age!” That had been one of the things that had cracked up Nat, that Charlie had wanted someone closer to his own age for Bella.  Most Fathers wanted someone around the same age, and Charlie picks not only someone that is older, but married.  For a police chief, he was really unobservant.

Running a hand through his hair, Charlie drops it.  He should have known better, but hell, the man didn’t look close to being his age!  Add to the fact that Charlie had liked the man and his gentle influence on his daughter.   Which made more sense when he realized he was a father as well.

He looks over at Bella, and Charlie softly pleads with her, “Just don’t be stubborn and fight this.  Help the man, then wait to see what happens. If you push him away from the start, who knows what could have happened?” He has learned to trust the BL, everything she has said has come true, and she has been one of the main ones giving answers.  So if she informed Bella of the chance, why shouldn’t she at least try?

Swallowing, Bella asks, “But what if I don’t live that much longer?” It is one of the reasons that she didn’t want to pursue anything with anyone.  For who knows how much longer she will on the Earth.  She knew firsthand how much pain it causes for someone to leave and you know there is no chance that you will ever see them again.

Charlie has a lump in his throat and clears it to get rid of it. He tells her the advice that he should have taken long ago. “Honey, there is no guarantees in life.  You can’t decide to save everyone and then find later that you are lonely because you were scared.  Take a chance.  Allow whatever happens to happen.  Who knows?  Maybe he is the key to the solution for you.” Charlie hopes she listens where he didn’t.

Bella turns to him and smiles. “Who knows, maybe I will.” From all their talks, she knows that this is something Charlie had hoped she learned better than him.  As he had told her, he had not learned and so an old fool is trying to make sure that she is smarter than he is and listen.  Never give up on life, and never, ever on love.

Maybe he is right?

With that thought, the Swans make small conversation as they make their way to Port Angeles.  Enjoying this last moment that they are together, but hoping that the separation will help heal Bella.

* * *

Final count: 4,600

**Fairfarren~**

 


	4. Someone’s Bound to Get Burned

 

**Pre-Edit Count – 1,659 Words**

_Song I listened to for this chapter: Try_ by P!nk

* * *

_Previously:_

_With that thought, the Swans make small conversation as they make their way to Port Angeles.  Enjoying this last moment that they are together, but hoping that the separation will help heal Bella._

_Now:_

* * *

The goodbye hug is as painful as Bella expected, but she soon cheers up when she boards the plane. Bella lights up as she goes to hug her uncle, then turns to smile at her cousin, “How are you Hope?”  The other woman hugs her cousin, then introduces her to Scott Lang, aka Ant-Man.

 [](http://wp.me/P5eatF-6wE)

Noticing she is a little shy, he immediately puts his hand out for her to shake. “Hi!  I’m Scott Lang, and I have wanted to meet you ever since Hope told me about you.”  When Bella raises her eyebrow at him, he grins, “Well, how can I not want to meet the woman who is related to two of my favorite people?” At the same time, he is mentally tallying the changes that have been made since her last picture.  He may not understand biology, but he has made some of the adjustments to the machines that Hope and Hank are using to try to find a solution.

 [](http://wp.me/P5eatF-6wE)

When Hope raises her eyebrow, Scott replies, “Why you and Captain America, of course!” He placates his girlfriend.  He just smiles at them, determined to have them laughing.  They need it, not that they don’t have a reason not to be happy, but there is nothing that being happy won’t cure.

Unable to help herself, Bella starts laughing.  She had heard of Scott from her Uncle Hank and Hope.  To say the reality is funnier than anything that Bella had imagined is an understatement.   She hopes he can keep his sense of humor in the next however long it will be that this will be happening.

They will all need it.

 [](http://wp.me/P5eatF-6wE)

Sitting in his corner, Hank just snorts at the three younger people, smiling at their evident enjoyment.  He too knows times like this are too often overlooked in the bigger picture.  But it also reinforces why they all do this.  The reason that they risk their lives to allow these everyday moments to happen.

The younger ones soon take their seats and the plane leaves Washington behind.  Hank had pulled many strings to allow them out of the country, along with Bella’s personal invitation by the King, had made this an easy extraction from the U.S.  And unless something happens, this will be one of the last times they will be here.  The Accords are making it harder for people to be themselves if they are not ‘normal’ or feel a duty to help others.

Hank already had the experience of a governmental agency telling him what he could or could not do.  S.H.I.E.L.D. Half the time, they have trouble determining what they need to do, so he is not going to trust a committee of government yes men to be able tell their asses from their elbows, let alone what an actual threat is.

Besides, though he mocks them for Sokovia, even he agrees that they reacted to a threat that the government couldn’t handle.  Even though he personally thinks Stark should be locked up for causing the mess in the first place, they reacted as a unit to take care of the global threat.

Wasn’t it S.H.I.E.L.D. who fired a nuke at New York City instead of letting the Avengers handle the issue, even though the committee was in charge of them?

The chatter from the three pulls his attention from his thoughts as he watches his great niece talking with his daughter and protégé.  He worries as he can see the small signs that even the newest creation is not stopping everything from affecting Bella.  And he notices that she is paling slightly, which means she needs to eat again.

Signaling the flight attendant, he nods towards Bella.  She quickly brings the young brunette a plate of food, which Bella thanks her for, and eats while listening to Scott tell her of his misdeeds.  Hope notices her full plate of food and her eyes flick to her father.

For a while now, Hope had been helping her father with the serum for Bella.  She loves her cousin and admires her for how she is determined to live life.  Since she had been trained by master assassins, Hope plans to spar with Bella when they are at Wakanda, along with having Scott try to take her on.  She figures they can train together in order to improve them all.

And she also has another reason for doing this. According to their tests, Bella is getting stronger.  Both Hawkeye and Natasha had alerted them to the information as they saw it happen.  Again, this is all according the information that Bella had given them about the vampires.  They became stronger, prettier and faster.  They developed another talent that had a basis in their human lives.

It all ties in to the fact that they believe the venom in her bite is activating.  They think that being around the Cullen’s may have held it back, or it just took that long for it to start changing.  There were two different venoms in the bite.  It is also telling that Jacob and Billy visited her house a lot.  Maybe, with the information that Sam’s saliva, and later his blood, were the only things that helped her at first helps substantiate that hypothesis.

But instead of just changing her, the venom is now killing her.  This is not acceptable to any of them, so they are trying to find the solution.   They have studied the makeup of the venom and Werewolf blood. In fact, Bella had the best minds on the planet on her side.  Hank, aka the Beast from the X-Men, is working with her father, and when they arrive in Wakanda, another Avenger will be there to help.  And this man is the one who may have a solution, but he needs bot Bella and Steve there.

The thing that they have noticed is the venom is a nasty piece of work that doesn’t look Terran.  It acts as a mixture of a symbiont and a virus.  Once the human is changed, the need for blood is to ‘feed’ the.  It consumes the blood from the host, but at the same time, it gives positive changes to the host.  Afterward, there is only the need for blood in order to allow the virus to continue to exist, and in return, they require nothing else.  It even makes it hard to kill the host and therefore the venom.

It made them all start to become experts in biological warfare to see if it had any way to be human but soon came to the conclusion it had to be extraterrestrial.

Then there is the Bright Lady who appears to Bella in dreams and in between moments. She has denied or verified, after Bella has told them the information, if they are right or wrong.  Or at least if they are on the right track. It had been disconcerting that she had been surprised by some of the stuff they had found out.  But as she had explained, she knows the outcome, just not how it comes to be.  Like someone trying to explain how a TV actually works.  We know how to use it, but most couldn’t tell you the technology behind it.

On the other side, the Lady has taken a hand in helping Bella develop her shield in new and exciting ways. She has taught Bella that her imagination is the limit for what her shield can do. Bella has so much control over her shield, she can even mimic levitation and so forth. She is learning the difference between shielding people and objects to mental shielding.  It had been the lessons of mental shielding that led to the discovery of another power:  She has the ability to help those who have been brainwashed or are being controlled by sources outside their own minds.  This has made Bella think of possibilities.  The most important is to assist another future comrade in arms, the best friend of Steve Rogers.

The Winter Soldier.

The information that the man could pass on to them on combat skills alone is worth him being revived.  The risk though is one that has him kept frozen so far.  His state is only temporary until Bella can get there and start working on what the Lady has taught her in order to allow the man to be free.  They are all looking forward to seeing what Bella can do for the man who has suffered so much over the years, being forced to do things which are against his basic makeup of what made him James ‘Bucky’ Barnes.

Hope does wonder about the Lady’s purpose in teaching Bella so much.  No one helps out for the sake of it anymore.

Sadly.

* * *

In a modern airport, Steve is waiting, with his hands clasped behind his back, for his sister to arrive in the private area reserved for the King and his guests.  Though he knows Bella is not his sister in reality, he thinks of her as one:  It is the only familial bond name that it feels right to give her.  He never looked more into the files Coulson had on her.  He knows from talking with her that they are related through her mother, who is missing.  Beyond that, neither are sure, nor want to find out how they are connected.

 [](http://wp.me/P5eatF-6wE)

Steve shakes his head as he thinks about Bella.  She is so like him it’s scary.  Finding Bella standing in front of that desk, with children hidden under it, ready to defend it when he walked into Stark Tower had thrown him for a loop.  He had greatly admired her, and still does, for the courage and determination she showed that day.  He couldn’t believe that an average human (or so Steve thought at the time) would risk her life for others.

Steve had no doubt that she would have passed Dr. Erskine’s tests like he did.

Then to find out Bella is his relative?  It made everything make more sense.  The feeling of family he has around her, how he had done nothing more than look at her, shocked that she had protected the children, then how Steve laughed when the first thought he had after that is that she would have been one of those that his friend would have loved to meet.

Now he only needs to find a way to tell her what he has been calling her to everyone since he has been back after the fiasco with the Avengers.  It had made him worry the entire time he had been helping Bucky if they are using time that Bella didn’t have.  Bucky had overheard a call that Steve had made from the quinjet to Dr. Pym asking about Bella. It had relieved him when the older man had told him that he was ok for this, and good luck.  And a reminder that he wants his protégé back.

Bella and Steve haven’t had much time together, especially with her problem getting worse to the point that she had headed back to Forks so they could figure out a new dosage.  He had been working out with her, teaching her the oddball things he had learned to give her an edge.  Steve had been more than grateful to Clint and Natasha for stepping in help to train her when he was worried about her going back untrained.  They both agreed with his remark that if she is going to be as much of a danger magnet as he is, then she should know how to defend herself.

Imagine his surprise when they found out about her shield: It had surprised them all. He had, in fact, teased her that liking to use shields had to be in the blood.  While he had a shield provided by T’Challa to replace the one that he had left for Tony, hers is actually part of her. But The sad part is that it confirmed their idea that she was changing due to the venom.  Not that any of them doubted what they were seeing, but that had only made it clearer.

Basically, it fits with the descriptions she had told them of vampires.  All her changes are meeting with the symptoms, except the need for blood only, and that her change is taking far more than three days.  Why was it not acting the same?  Bella had mentioned that even a trace will turn humans into vampires, and they knew it.  Why did they leave Bella behind with that trace in her?

Then there was Banner’s arrival. He had spent a small amount of time looking at the samples from Bella.  Then quickly asked for samples of Steve’s blood.  Steve happily gave it to him and wondered, since he knew both Banner and Tony had looked at his blood before, if there were any differences between those first samples and the newest ones.  Nothing had come of it, but why is it that since he had looked at both samples, the man had been a madman in the laboratory muttering about ‘how no one had seen it before’ and ‘how it all made sense now.’

No one knew what he was talking about, but he had told Steve that there might be an answer not only for Bella, but one for Steve and Bucky as well.  One that will make all of them safer so that no one will be able to take their secrets from them.

Steve had been confused, but he had shrugged it off as he left to meet Bella and the rest of the people who are coming with her.  Even now, thinking back on it, Steve has no idea what Banner is talking about.  Both Bucky and he are stable as far as he knows, and no one has managed to break the formula for the serum in all this time.  But to hear that Bella is lumped in with the two of them?  It is making him wonder.

Turning to another thought process, Steve chuckles as he realizes that Wakanda is quickly becoming a place for those who do not want to be a part of the Sokovia Accords to find refuge.  Many have ideas like Steve and others who do not agree with the Accords and the possibilities they could present.  One of the people coming with Bella is very much against the idea of the Accords.

The possibility that they could be commanded by military people who only want to use them to win a war that the Avengers might not agree with: That they might be utilized for other’s gains, and not for the betterment of mankind, is a very real concern. Since that possibility may exist, Steve is steadfast that he and those who agree to stand by his side will be there to combat the risk.

However, as he had told Tony, if the Avengers need them, they will come to _their_ aid.  Not to the assistance of others, but only to the Avengers themselves.  They will be willing to save the world, but not under the command of the governments, but under the need to protect humankind.  It might be high-handed, but Steve just couldn’t go against his morals and actually use his gifts to fight against freedom.

Freedom is never free, and he is more than willing to pay that price. He never wants to be the reason that others pay that price to be free from him.

Steve snaps out of his musings as his ears catch the whine of the engines coming.  When he sees it coming in for a landing, he smiles. He turns and heads down to the tarmac, the guards making way for him.

When the plane is done taxiing, he is loping across the last part of the tarmac quickly to the stairs which are being lowered so he can be the first to greet his sister.  Steve has missed her, and hopefully, this time, she will not be leaving him for any medical reasons after this.

* * *

Bella is still talking with Hope and Scott while waiting for the flight people to do whatever they need to do before they disembark.  Though, Bella is quickly out of the seat when Hank informs her amusedly, “Seems you have someone eager to see you, my dear.”  She is at the door and down the stairs in the next second and in Steve’s arms.  “Steve!”

Standing at the top of the stairs behind his girlfriend, Scott murmurs to Hope, “I want that to be her future:  To be that happy.” While Bella is an adult, there is something innocent in her that makes him think of her as someone to protect, to care for.  While he knows both of his employers’ care greatly for her, this is his first time he has met her.   And she certainly deserves that future with all the trauma and simple adult life she had dealt with long before she came of age to encounter it.

Smiling up at the man who stole her heart like the thief he was, Hope answers back, “That is what we are fighting for.” She looks down at the Man out of Time, talking with Bella much more animatedly than she had ever imagined.  The two of them look very happy as they are telling their stories faster than she thinks they realize.

Not wanting to break the ‘siblings’ happy greeting, but at the same time not wanting to stand in the doorway, Scott heads down the stairs, meeting Steve with a clasp of hands, “It’s a pleasure to be here, Cap!  And thanks again for freeing me from that hellhole.” He had hated it worse than the prison he had been in the first time.

Steve gives a nod acknowledgement to Scott as he frowns, “Hank Prym?” He looks up at the man whom he had looked up once Steve found that Bella was his niece and that Hank was the one trying to find a solution for her.  He wanted to make sure that the person whose hands his sister’s life rested in was qualified to save it.

Hank chuckles, “Shocked to see how old I am?” He is entertained since he suspects the younger man looked him up in the S.H.I.E.L.D.’s database when he found out who was helping his relative.  It is what he did when he found out that Bella was related to Steve Rogers.  Though, he had already known much of the man since he had looked him up when he heard that Peggy had loved him.

Steve nods slowly.  The files that he had looked at made Hank seem to be a much younger man, he didn’t expect him to look older.  He had read something in the files that the Ant-Man suit had taken a toll on him, but Steve suspects that a lot of what has Hank Pym looking older is the loss of his wife whom he loved dearly.

Nodding his head, Hank moved down the stairs, telling Steve, “Your bravery is what inspired me to help out any way I could.  When I found that I could figure out things more quickly than others, it motivated me to take up the reigns of using what I had invented.” All of it was true, Captain America had been his hero when he was younger, and seeing that the man was more than he ever imagined once he read his files, it had made it a natural choice to fight for what The Captain believed in.

A slight smile appears on Steve’s face as he looks at the man he had to admit he admired, “From what I hear, you did a great job protecting the U.S.”  Then he puts his hand on Bella, “And you did even better keeping Bells here alive for this long.” He gives credit to the man whom he knows has kept Bella alive all this time, and as pain-free as they could manage.

Hank nods slowly as he reaches the bottom of the stairs.  “Now I hope that we can finish this process and get Bella to look beyond more than tomorrow.” He smiles at his niece as he puts his hand on her shoulder.  He is very proud of Bella and is planning to do anything to give her those tomorrows.

Nodding, Hope smiles at her cousin as she says hopefully, “And maybe, just maybe, give love another chance?” She lifts her eyebrow as she looks down at Bella as she leans slightly into Scott who is behind her.

Giving them all a disgusted look, Bella turns Steve around and has him moving back into the airport as she asks him what all he has been up to.  When he gives a look back with a questioning eyebrow, Hope nods to him, letting him know that they will talk to him later.

With that agreement in place, Steve escorts her out to his bike then hands her a helmet to wear.  When she tries to protest he lays his hand on her shoulder, “Just humor me.  After I see this shield in play, I might relax more, but I don’t want to worry about a mistake happening and ending your life prematurely because we didn’t take precautions.” Not that he would be easy with it, but he can understand wanting to feel the wind in your hair.  Riding his bike gives him a sense of freedom, and it is one that he knows Bella enjoys as well.

Sighing as she rolls her eyes, she balances on the bike, flips her hair to the and slides the helmet on in a practiced move.  Steve smiles and he gets on in front of her:  Once her arms are around him, he guns it.

He grins as he hears Scott complain, “Why can’t I have one of those instead?” as they ride down the road to the palace and hopefully the solution to Bella’s problems.

* * *

Final count: 3,817

**Fairfarren~**


	5. Be My Remedy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bella meets T'Challa. She sees Bucky for the first time and has a conversation with Steve. Then you meet the team in charge of healing Bella.

****

 

**Pre-Edit Count – 3,310 Words**

_Song I listened to for this chapter: Sing It Out_ by Switchfoot

* * *

_Previously:_

_He grins as he hears Scott complain, “Why can’t I have one of those instead?” as they ride down the road to the palace and hopefully the solution to Bella’s problems._

_Now:_

* * *

Steve and Bella ride through the winding road up to the castle, both of them grinning as Steve leans the bike into the turns, as well as going faster and faster through the them.

Basically, they were having fun.

Too soon for them, Steve and Bella pull up to the Palace of the King.  Steve rolls to a stop in his regular spot, then turns off the engine, holding the bike steady as Bella gets off.  As soon as she is off, he grabs the helmet that she holds out to him and puts it on the bike in one fluid movement.  Grinning at her, Steve ushers her through the doors being held open for them.

Knowing that T’Challa is looking forward to meeting Bella, Steve wants to get that over with quickly since he wishes to speak with her on other matters.  Like how he thinks of her, his thoughts on how she is like a sister to him and what is going on with her cousin as well as her comment about giving love another chance.

 [](https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwi28o_L2tvPAhWBQyYKHc5WBa4QFggcMAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmarvelcinematicuniverse.wikia.com%2Fwiki%2FBlack_Panther&usg=AFQjCNGt9h0RpnEYdbQHLd5K8QydG0Tdlg&sig2=NcvYnM9G7122CF44-yfbqA&bvm=bv.135974163,d.eWE)

T’Challa is waiting for them in the throne room.  Seeing the woman whom he has learned so much about from Steve walking in, he descends from his throne and is soon in front of her. He quickly moves to stop her, shaking his proud head at her and attempting courtesy, T’Challa tells her, “You are most welcome in my kingdom, Isabella Swan.” He smiles down at her, waiting for her to raise her head.

His world is turned upside down when he looks into her eyes, and his widen.  “The Lady?” T’Challa’s mind is going a mile a minute as he tries to think of what it can mean that the Lady is working with this young woman.  He flips through the memories of the prophecies he had learned as bedtime stories, as well as his duties to this woman if she is what he suspects.

Steve and Bella glance at each other, then back at him.  Steve raises an eyebrow as he asks, “Excuse me, Your Majesty?” He had never mentioned the Bright Lady since it is something only talked about in person. Not to mention the fact that The Bright Lady is one of those ‘need to know’ situations, which very few actually need to know about. Steve had planned to speak to the King about it later, but how did he already know?

Waving his hand at the title, T’Challa asks Bella, “You are being contacted by the Lady?” His eyes are looking at her face, reorganizing things in his head as things are now put on the backburner that may have been important to him only moments before.

Amazed that he could see it somehow, Bella finally asks with the need to clarify, “The Bright Lady?”

Nodding, T’Challa waits.

Licking her lips then biting the bottom one nervously, Bella nods her head as she glances back to Steve for assurance. He steps closer to her to give her his support and to act if need be.

A smile appears again on T’Challa’s face as he comments, “Finally. It’s good to have you here where you belong, Chosen One.  My Kingdom is yours for as long as you need it, and then it is your home after that time.” He is amazed that he had no idea before that this woman matched the prophecies so much.  Then again, who would expect that a prophecy that had been spoken thousands of years ago would be fulfilled in his lifetime?

Both of his eyebrows shoot up and Steve asks, “What’s going on?” His head is slightly tilted to the side. Steve wonders if he will need to contact his backup plan on this.  Steve had only finally sent the files to him to see if he can help, or bring his extensive infrastructure to find out more information.

Turning to his friend, T’Challa tells him, “We have been waiting for the Chosen One to come for a long time.  She is the one that will shield us all from what is to come while her Warrior protects our universe by fighting for her and our planet.  In fact, the Black Panther was formed in that distant past with the help of the Lady, to be able to assist her Chosen in completing her tasks.  For as much as the Warrior is mighty, the Chosen One is the one who will be the protector of us all, making us able to concentrate on protecting the Universe from the threats bombarding it.” He explains, wanting to let Steve know that there is nothing wrong with this and, in fact, the one Steve calls his sister is now the most protected person in the kingdom.

Her eyes wide, Bella has to inquire of the man who might know more than she does, “Do you have more on this?  She never tells me anything.” The last is said with a sense of one who is getting used to knowing nothing of what is wanted and just having to work blind.

Unable to help himself, T’Challa laughs. “Maybe because she knows you so well?”  Shaking his head, he discloses to her, “I will ask my advisors to find all the documentation we have on it for you to look through. But I do have to ask, is Steve your Warrior?” He looks between the two, confused, “It has long been assumed that the Warrior will be your soul mate.”  Steve has mentioned that she feels like a sister to him.

Blushing, Bella quickly stammers out, “N-n-n-o!” She might not like it, but she is acutely aware of who the Warrior is and what he will mean to her.   She is just not willing to risk herself for the man.

Things start making sense to Steve.  He might not be smart on the subject of girls, but he has had everything relating to this idea shouting at him.  He turns to Bella as he asks incredulously, “Bucky?”  His mind is racing with how he had already noted that Bucky would have loved to meet her from the first time he, himself, had met her.

The furthering blush of Bella answers the question for the two of them.  T’Challa starts at first, then remembering what they have told him of her, he quickly realizes that the Winter Soldier would be perfect for the young Chosen One.

Where she is trusting, he would be protecting.  The Winter Soldier would be the one who would see the threat that she would just not be able to see.  Steve would be more likely to see the same as Bella, but they needed the worldly knowledge of the soldier that Bucky became.  The lessons he’d had to learn had been hard, but those lessons will only further their cause now.

He thinks about how Steve has spoken of both Bella and Bucky; he would be firmly on their side. Since Steve is such a worthy opponent and a more than capable leader of the Avengers, it could only add to their dynamic.

Yes, this might be the best and exactly what was meant to happen in the future.  For who knows what will happen, but with the links between these three, there is not much that will separate them.

With all of this in his head, T’Challa looks to Bella and asks, “You know how to free him?” For he has no doubt that things will be moving quickly.  He already plans to make sure that Banner is working on a cure for her, as well as make his people who are working on the cure aware of who she is to them.

 

Ignoring Steve’s suddenly sharp gaze at her, Bella nods. “I was taught how to shield his mind from anyone trying to tamper with it for now.  Eventually, I was promised that it would become part of him, that no matter how far away from me he gets, or what is happening to me, he will be protected as I am.” She had planned to surprise Steve, or at the least talk with him about it.  Unfortunately, they didn’t have time. Besides, who would have thought this conversation would be happening now and with the King?

Thinking through the information T’Challa has on her, it suddenly makes sense.  He tells her, “My people and I are at your command, Chosen One.  I will tell them to bring his capsule up so you can start working on him when you are ready.” He waits for her as he inwardly smirks at how this young woman has no idea how much power she now controls.

When Bella nods, T’Challa smiles at her as he informs her, “Now that we are done dumping information on you, I will let Steve take you and ask his questions of you as I greet your family.  I will also show them to the laboratory that Mr. Banner has taken over working on whatever he is doing.  But off you go, I suspect you two have a lot to talk about.” He stands to the side, indicating a room to the side for them to use for their talk.

They both nod, and Steve is soon escorting Bella out of the King’s presence, while the tall black man is watching them leave, knowing their world is changing yet again.

Exciting times indeed.

* * *

Deciding to take her to where Bucky’s Capsule is awaiting them, Steve quickly reroutes them to  another room.  He knows that the capsule is on an elevator from the chamber that he is being kept.  It will take less time than the two of them walking that way for the capsule to be moved up there.

Plus, the view from up here is remarkable, with the Black Panther snarling out of the mists with the backdrop behind him of the forest and falls.  No one else is up there, the room is dark with only the outside light and the glow from the controls on Bucky’s current home.

 

Ignoring the man that has taken up much of her mind lately, Bella leans on the railing around the room, looking out into the amazing landscape hinted at by the mists. She can just make out a structure in the clouds far off on the cliffs, and she wonders what it really is, her imagination running wild, thinking of wings and other things.

Steve had stopped by Bucky’s capsule, outwardly checking the stats showing on the side, but inwardly his mind is swirling with all the information he had just learned.  Soon enough, Steve has it all worked out and joins Bella, leaning his back against the railing facing the room as he comments, “I expected some surprises today, but nothing like this.” His eyes slide to look at her profile beside him.

Snorting, Bella wryly comments back to him, “Try from my end.” She sighs.  She has more than enough of these types of surprises that seem to come from out of nowhere,  though some of it must be more surprising to Steve since it is things that affect him more.  On the other hand, being told that she had been prophesied about is more than a little strange for her.

Their eyes meet, and the two can’t help but chuckle as Steve comments, “Our curse it seems.  Though I would dearly like to know who cursed us with interesting lives.” Smiling in ease, he grins at her, shaking his head as he wishes that he could find that person.

She laughs, “Me as well.  Might have a word or two to share with them.” Bella has had enough of the exciting times for more than a handful of people.  The only ones that might have more are here in the room with her.

The two of them chuckle again as they think of what they would have to say to that person.  Then Steve sighs, “Hey, I wanted to talk to you, but with all this information…” He turns slightly to her, shrugging since he has no idea what to do now.  So much more information is being thrown at her once again.

Nodding her head, Bella admits to Steve, “I wanted to either talk in person or surprise you with Bucky being free and awake.” She gives him an odd smile like she is sorry that her surprise had been ruined and that it had been her fault.

Steeling himself to ask her the questions that might make them both uncomfortable, but that he wants to get out in the open. Steve proceeds with the first issue, “And I take it with the comments Hope was making, along with the information we have just received, that you and Bucky are meant to be together?” He hates this, but with him thinking of her as being his sister, he needs to find out what is going on.  And if she truly is thinking of not giving love another chance, he needs to know what she is thinking.  And why.

Closing her eyes, steeling herself to impart the information she never likes to share, Bella confesses to him, “Supposedly.  But you know I don’t agree with this whole fate thing.  Been there, done that, got the pain and dying from it.” Her hands grip the railing tighter and only release when she feels the metal start to give under her fingers.

His eyes look at the man he considers his brother, whom he would go to hell and back for, then turning to meet his sister’s eyes in the glass, Steve offhandedly replies, “Well, there is no one I would like better for the woman I consider a sister than the man I wish was my brother.” He glances down at her fingers, hearing the metal complain as she tightens her hand again in response to his statement.

Shocked, Bella turns to him, and with her entire body reflecting her consternation, questions him, “What?” Bella couldn’t have heard what he said right.  He wants to claim her as a sister and he agrees that Bucky would be right for her?

Smiling, he stares at the reflection in the glass of his best friend in his capsule.  “I have thought of you as my sister pretty much since we met.  Nothing else fits what I feel for you, and I was going to ask you to be that person in fact, once we had the chance to talk here.  Instead, we get blindsided with all this information.  I asked myself why was it that after I heard all that I was angry.  Was it because it came up before I could get the chance to ask you to be my sister, that you were already thought to be hooked up with Bucky?   Then the thought came right after that, who else would I trust with my sister?”

Shrugging, Steve admits, “I needed the chance to put my thoughts in order, and soon realized that everything was okay.  Though I will admit I really want more time thinking of you as my sister.” He waits to see what she comes back with.

Bella huffs, “Well don’t get to thinking there will be wedding bells anytime soon.” She hates that it seems that everyone is for her and Bucky to be together.  What about the two of them?  Maybe they might hate each other?

Shaking his head in disbelief, Steve asks, “Why?”  At her questioning glance, he asks, “Why are you fighting against this?  The more I think about it, the more perfect you two will be together.” There were never truer words.  The two of them complimented each other in ways that he never put together until he started to think about them.  As he had mentioned, when he had met her, the first thought was that Bucky would have loved to meet her and, in fact, would have asked her to go dancing within minutes of meeting her.

Gritting her teeth, Bella reminds him, “I was told that before.  And look where it got me.” Why can people not respect her decisions?  Doesn’t she have enough to worry about right now, mainly if she will live long enough to find out any of this?

Turning to her, and taking her gently by the shoulders, Steve turns her to him. “I get it.  I really do.  But as you told me with Peggy, I got to move on.  Learn to live again.  Why are you not taking the same advice?” He reminds her of the conversation they had one evening in his apartment.  How they had discussed their past relationships, and how Steve felt so lost since the last he remembers he was asking Peggy to dinner after having kissed her before getting on the plane.  Now he is 70 years late for that date, and it is a giant leap to take in his mind.

Closing her eyes, Bella remembers that night and thinks.  She replies to his question, “Because I am not sure what is left of me to offer.  I gave everything to him, and he left me, Steve.”  Opening her eyes to him, she continues, “Now I am being told that this person is perfect for me.  That I will be his soulmate and he mine, but what happens when he leaves me?  There is hardly anything left to me, why would he want to have so little?”  She throws her hand out at Bucky, as she takes a step away from him, allowing his hands to fall to his side, “Look at him.  Why would he want someone like me?” The last was said in a hard voice.

Looking down at his little sister, Steve asks, “Why wouldn’t he?”  When she goes to protest, Steve puts his finger on her lips as he answers her unsaid protest, “He is broken as well, little bird.  His soul has been damaged by all that he had been made to do.  He will think himself unworthy of you, even as he fights with everything he has to give you the right to choose if you think he is your one.  He is my best friend, the one that stood up for me when I was that sickly youth that was beat up all the time.” And the more he talks, the more he sees that they are right for each other.  They both fight to give the other the choices they think are being denied to the other.

She shakes her head as tears come from her eyes unknown to her, “But see?   He deserves more than me.  He is worthy of a whole soul, one that can love him completely.” Why is this so hard for anyone to understand?

When she starts to argue, he reaches up and pinches her lips together gently, “No.  Take the time to think about it.  You need that time with all the information being thrown at you and who knows when you may get the chance again.  I will go get Banner and see what he will need from you.”  When she looks away from him, he releases her lips and gives her a little shake, as he advises her, “But seriously think about it, Bella.  I truly believe that you two are what the other needs.”  With that, he hugs her, then kissing the top of her head, he leaves the room, hoping that she will do as he asked.

 

She hiccups slightly, allowing the sob out that she had held in so Steve wouldn’t see.  Then Bella straightens up, and finally looks at the man everyone is trying to convince her is worth it. Swallowing, she informs him, “You are worth more than me.  I will give you what you need, but I will not make you like me or anything else.  You have suffered more than anyone else I have ever thought about.  And I will make it so your mind is your own.  Anything else is up to you.” She is standing before his capsule, her hand resting on it.  And she gives him a look, admitting he is everything she ever would wish for in looks.  Her life has changed, and she just wants someone that can take care of her, but at the same time, she doesn’t want to be the damsel in distress yet again.

Shaking her head at her thoughts, Bella gets to work, taking the time to make sure her new brother gets his best friend back. Then she can rest and try to push it all away.

* * *

Down in the Labs where Banner is, Hope is aware of when Steve walks into the room.  He comes up to her as he tells them all, “I did what I could,” and shakes his head as he rubs the bridge of his nose.  How in the heck has Bella gotten to the place that she thinks she is not worthy of love?

 

Watching the two, Scott is lost, but he notices the rest of their group nod in understanding.  Unable to stay quiet, Scott comments, “I’m glad someone knows what he is talking about.”  He nods… then pauses as he says, “Wait.”  He points his fingers around as he announces, “That’s right, everyone but me knows!”  He extends his head slightly, waiting for someone to explain what is going on.  When no one does, he tilts his head a little more, telling them without words that they need to explain.

Unable to help themselves, they all smile. Hope pats his back as she walks by, “It’s ok, Scott.” She turns her head away, hiding her grin at his antics.

He cocks his head to the side, waiting for her to explain but when she doesn’t, and in fact continues walking away from him, he grouches, “Man, what is this, a conspiracy against Scott?” He shakes his head, turning to look out the window at the scenery with his arms crossed.

Hank P. just chuckles as he works with Beast to make sure all his files transferred completely.  He is updating the files with the latest that he and Hope did that morning before they left San Francisco.  He has also answered an email from an inside source in S.H.I.E.L.D.  It was from one of the leading biochemists in the world, and they are willing to work with them on this.

 

 

 

From where he is standing with his arms crossed, Steve shakes his head at Scott’s antics.  Remembering his questions, he turns and moves to Banner, asking, “So now that everyone is here, can you tell us what is going on?” He waits patiently for his friend to tell him what he knows that can save his sister.

 [](http://marvelcinematicuniverse.wikia.com/wiki/Hulk)

Turning from his microscope Banner smiles at his friend.  “Not everyone is here.” He knows how important Bella is to Steve and will do all he can to help them.  He is shocked to find out that what is happening to Bella is related to what Steven went through and that Dr. Erskine went so far so make the serum in the first place.

Shaking his head sadly, Steve laughs ironically, “You expect Bella to want to be here?” While he wishes she would be, he meant for her to take some time to herself to think about everything.

A voice comes from the door, “No, but since I am here to help out, I should be here.” It has a southern drawl to it, recognizable as Texan.

A quick glance shows three individuals at the door, and it only takes a second to realize what they are.  With everything Bella has explained about her ex it is their physical beauty which gives him the answer. He drops his arms and clenches his fists, wondering why the hell they are here.

Before they can do anything, another voice sounds out as he appears in the room, “And I.”

 [](https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&sqi=2&ved=0ahUKEwjg5euf29vPAhUDbiYKHY65BegQFggcMAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmarvelcinematicuniverse.wikia.com%2Fwiki%2FLoki&usg=AFQjCNHBTpFNLJoDWNPO_uXU0vMxbunQIg&sig2=e7quvI_hs7DxdmCbeBz2Zw&bvm=bv.135974163,d.eWE)

“Loki!”

Before they can do anything else, T’Challa is there holding Steve in place as he tells the rest of them, “Relax.  I have his promise not to interfere.  He was contacted by Banner regarding all of this.” He waits until Steve nods to release him.

When Steve turns to look at Banner to find out why these people are here, he sighs and rubs his temples. “Now that everyone is here, I can explain all of this.” He knew that it might not be what Steve wants to know, but he has been talking with Loki since he left the Avengers in Sokovia.  He had been planning to leave the Earth when the call came for him to help Steve.  When he found out the specifics, he had immediately come to help his friend, one of the few to understand and like him.

He gets up and heads over to a screen in the middle of the lab which is big enough for them all to see, and with a few clicks Banner has pulled up a chemical compound diagram.  “Seems your Doctor had knowledge of Vampires.  The serum actually has their venom in it.  It is what helps you become so much more.  It toughens your skin, makes you stronger, perfects you.  But what your doctor did Steve, is make it so the serum didn’t make you a vampire. Instead, it made you become a better specimen of a human.” And it boggles his mind how everyone has missed this.  The only thing that comes to mind is that none of them knew, nor did they have the idea that magic needs to be used as well to make the most stable viable version.

With this in mind, Banner rubs his thumb on his eyebrow, “The venom is the missing piece from all the attempts to recreate it. But when you sent Bella’s blood, I saw something I had not seen except in your blood.  And with the knowledge you guys passed along…” He waves his hand at the newcomers.

Of the three who had walked in last, the short haired blonde nods, “And we confirmed it.  We are willing to help the three here that are affected by the venom.” He leans against the wall, waiting for the theatrics to be done.  Little Bird, as her brother calls her and he loves the name, needs them to remain occupied while she works on the Winter Soldier.

Trying to piece this information together with what he knows about Bella, Scott frowns, “But I thought the Captain was a successful experiment, the only one ever made by the serum?” Why would they need to help him if he is stable?

Having looked over the information, as well as what Banner had been telling her beforehand, Hope explains, “But he would have been checked over by the doctor after the application, and any trouble would have been fixed.  Instead, the good doctor was killed before any of the tests were even done, and on top of that, Captain Rogers was frozen for so many years, and we have no idea if that affected the serum. We never had a baseline from the one person who would be the best to know what that baseline needed to be.” She frowns, then explains, “For one thing, it seems to have deadened your nerves somewhat.  We are not sure if that is good or bad.” She shrugs her shoulders as she shakes her head, trying to figure out why no one had asked until it was too late for what the good Doctor thought would be the baseline and see if Steve had them.

Remembering when he first came out of the capsule and how everything seemed too heightened, Steve answers, “Good.  Definitely good.”  He cannot imagine everything being more sensitive.

They chuckle, but Hank explains the pluses to Steve, “But at the same time, it could be bad.  Maybe your heightened senses may tell you something that you needed to know?  We are aware your hearing and eyesight are improved, but your sense of touch should be as well.”

The long haired blonde vampire nods, “Touch and feeling help sometimes.  It has often been the only thing that has saved my life by feeling the difference in the air moving to warn me of another attacking me.” His southern drawl explains as he watches them all, leaning against the wall next to his brother.

Steve looks like he is thinking about what they are saying then slowly nods. “I can see what you are saying.  I don’t know how much it would help with the suits I wear.”

The Beast rumbles from his place standing behind them all, “Then there is how he made the serum not change you:   For you not to suffer like Bella is.” He shakes his head as he looks over the lab work they have on the two, shocked by the similarities between not only Steve and Bella, which makes sense in a roundabout way with them being related, but also the Winter Soldier.

Standing with his arms crossed, Loki comments, “Which is where I come in.” He has his own reasons for being here beyond what he is willing to admit, but he wants to make sure Bella, especially, does not suffer and at the same time he remembers his own torture at the hands of Thanos:  He’s hoping to help the friend of Captain Rogers.

Turning to him, Steve demands, “And why are you willing to help?”

 

His green eyes piercing Steve suddenly, Loki explains the part he is willing to admit to, “Because without her and her warrior, we will not survive what is to come.  Nothing will.  I think you would agree my survival is enough to guarantee my participation.  There is no need to be King of nothing.” He gives the answer that he knows the Man out of Time will accept.

“And your attack on Earth?  Did you know she was there?  She could have died!”  Steve asks in a hard voice. It is one of the things he will not forgive Loki about that whole escape, that Bella had been so close to dying in that mess.

Losing all color in his face, Loki answers, “No, I did not.  And that wasn’t completely under my control.  I was as much controlled as Barton and Selvig were.  I can be held accountable for what I have done afterward, and only one person on this planet has that right.” And she will be who he needs to talk with after he is sure that everything is ready for that discussion.

Shaking his black mane, Loki explains what he can to Rogers. “No, I wouldn’t harm the Shield no matter what.  I have been looking for her longer than any other.  Only the Enchantress holds more appeal for me, and in a different way. I only want to protect the Shield until her warrior is ready to take over.”  He dryly comments, “Unfortunately, the Allfather and Thor were sufficient distractions for me to know that both of these ladies are here now.” His eyes narrow as he remembers when he found out that it may not have been accidental that his attention was elsewhere.

 

Catching onto the capitalization of the name, Scott asks, “Enchantress?” Maybe this man will give him some information.

Loki shakes his head, “One Lady at a time, Ant.  We need to concentrate on Miss Swan first.  Her skills will be required soon if what I remember from my fall is true.” He cannot help the slight smile as he talks with the man.  He has kept Loki amused many a time with his conversations with his friends.

Clearing his throat to bring attention back to him, Banner tells them, “Loki is right.  Without him, the serum wouldn’t work to the full effect that we will be needing from what the vampires and Loki are telling us.   And per our agreements with them, only three people will receive the benefit of our research.  Steve, Bella and Bucky.”

From where he has been standing off to the side, T’Challa asks, “And the knowledge afterward?” He is only worried that it might be used for others.  He cannot see any good coming from this because of all the failed attempts to remake the serum.

Quickly answering him, Hank Pym answers, “Destroyed.  Only the people in this room have any knowledge of it.  And it is only because it is dangerous to those three that we are doing this.” He will never allow this formula to get out.  He, too, is aware of how many have tried to replicate it.

Wanting to make his objectives clear, Loki interjects. “That is what you humans want.  I want the Shield and her Warrior to be ready for what is coming.” Not sharing that he cares about the Soldier is another way to make them believe that he is dismissive of their attempts.  He doesn’t need anyone realizing how well he knows the people in this room.

When they all look at him, Loki starts to pace back and forth in front of them. “Do you think it is just coincidence that all this is happening now?  Think about it.  We have always had the beings for this.  Earth, and its guardians.  But for this all to happen now?  Much has guided us all to this time and place.”

Looking up to them, Loki clarifies his words.  “Thanos is on the move for the first time.  The Dark Elves have returned.  Other events, far from your knowledge, are happening.  Earth is the center of all that is going on.  And it also happens to be the birthplace of the Shield and her Warrior?”  Shaking his head, Loki advises them, “Beyond my petty squabbles with Thor and everything else, the universe is gearing up for a showdown which is unprecedented since the Celestial Beings had their war.” And that personally scares him since he knows how many worlds were destroyed by those beings.

He stops and pierces them all with his green eyes, “It is why I want to be King, to help protect my people and others from what is to come.  It is why the Shield has held my allegiance since my 100th year when I found information on her which I hid from all others.” Loki hides his real reasons.  He never wanted to be King, had hoped to help guide Thor in all that needed to be done.  Instead, he has had to stretch himself thinner than is good for everyone, having to do both the job that Thor was supposed to do, as well as his own.

The beings in the room are quiet, watching and listening to the God of Magic.

Lifting his head, Loki continues to make known to them all, “And her connections?  Think about it.  She is the self-professed sibling of the Soldier.  A man not able to be surpassed in his ability to lead others.  She will have the Warrior, one that will actually be able to beat my own brother in his own strength.  One that is taught in the crucible of pain.  She has the loyalty of the God of Magic, and later, you will find that the Enchantress will also give her loyalty to her.  Her Uncle is the man who invented the suit for the Ant-Man before you, the one who can rival Stark with his suit and mind.  As well as the loyalty of the mutants as they help.  She even has the loyalty of the vampires in this room.  As well as the Black Widow and Barton.  And there are so many more you will find that have ties to her.” Loki shrugs as he tells them what should be crystal clear.  It is up to them to take what he is admitting to them of the plans he has been making as well as information that can only help the Shield.

“No, the information in this room wouldn’t matter if it leaked.  It would need someone like me, or the Enchantress to help make the serum that we are gathered to make work.  And neither of us would agree to this again.  And I wouldn’t agree if it hadn’t been for the Shield.”  Loki stares at the others.  “Now I think we have given the Shield enough time to work her powers on her Warrior.  We need to get the serum made soon so that the three of them will be able to work on what is to come.”

With the words that Loki uttered, Hope jumps to the screen and brings up the room that she had glimpsed Bella in earlier.  With a curse, the blonde vampire left the room to retrieve Bella from where she has fallen in front of Bucky’s capsule.

* * *

Final count: 6,238

**Fairfarren~**


	6. Picture the Perfect Place

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steve learns names of newcomers, Loki has something to say to everyone. Steve then gets a surprise causing him to react quickly. Finally, an old visitor to Bella and Bucky comes by.

 

**Pre-Edit Count – 2,386 Words**

_Song I listened to for this chapter: All The Right Moves_ by OneRepublic

* * *

_Previously:_

_With the words_ _that Loki uttered, Hope jumps to the screen and she brings up the room that she had glimpsed Bella in earlier.  With a curse, the blonde vampire left the room to retrieve Bella from where she has fallen in front of Bucky’s capsule._

_Now:_

* * *

While all this is going on, in a building far from the Kingdom of Wakanda, a man is sitting there with his chin in his hand while he is resting it on the arm of the chair he is seated in, watching on the screen what is going on.  While he is watching, a program of his making is making sure no one but he can see what is happening in that far off room.

He looks down at some information that was sent to him recently, and then back up to the screens as he sees a brunette being carried into the room that had a large grouping of people he would have never would have imagined would work together. He winces when he thinks that they are only doing this because of his actions.

But as he watches, he looks over at the information they see at the same time.  With a frown, he mutters, “Well, they need dear old Dad’s notes as well to make sure this will work.”  With a flick of his fingers, he sends the information to Banner’s desk.  His eyes continue moving between the files and the screens.

He also works out the formulas they have worked on, and only after seeing that it will work as projected with the help of the God of Mischief’s help, he sighs. This may not be good, but he has his own questions for the Green Eyed Trickster.  Things are just not adding up in any form or fashion since the invasion.

Then his eyes catch something on the other screen, and his eyebrows go up in astonishment.  “Well, that may change things.”

With that, he starts getting to work.  Knowing that none of the people would trust him with the information they have, he starts to make sure his snooping stays hidden, while making sure no one but he could do what is happening.  And he ‘accidently’ drops in and makes some adjustments to the gift they are fabricating for the Captain.

No reason to not give him the best equipment.

* * *

The blonde has Bella in the room that the dark-haired doctor had indicated.  When Steve enters after them, he stays by the edge of the chamber where the blonde retreated, to stand by while everyone swarmed over the petite brunette.

Steve holds out his hand while still watching them with his sister, “Captain Steve Rogers.”

 [](http://twilightsaga.wikia.com/wiki/Jasper_Hale)

The blonde smiles and shakes his hand, “Major Jasper Whitlock.” When Steve glances at him, his smile gets a little bigger, “Civil War.” He respects this soldier, for he too had been in a war.  No matter the times or what the weapons, war is always the same.  A morbid study in the destruction of others.

Nodding his head in respect for the man beside him, Steve answers back, “World War II, but then everyone knows that.”  He looks to him, and asks, “Why are you here?” His curiosity is the only thing strong enough to drag his attention partly away from Bella.

Jasper nods towards Bella, “I was with the Cullen’s when they came across that amazing woman.  When I protested us leaving, I was bound with chains.  Luckily, my brother and his mate came to rescue me then brought me here.  Once I found out what was going on, I wanted to go to Bella, but Peter, who just knows shit, told me to stay here and we will be able to help more.” It had not been easy, but Peter had been adamant that she needed to be where she is and dealing with what she was.  The hardest for all of them had been New York City, and even Peter had gone with them to keep an eye over Bella when she had been there.

Remembering Steve beside him, Jasper shrugs as he motions to his brother standing on the other side of the room. “Each of us will be donating our venom to one of you.  Bella is getting mine, only because that is what I asked.” He explains, wanting to let the man know.  In fact, at this point, only Bella will know who she received venom from.

Thinking over what has been said, as well as not said, Steve asks, “Why?”

Smiling gently at the woman he cares for, he replies, “Because of the three of us, I know her best.  And I want to be able to claim her as family.  Pete and Char are both sired by me, and in a way, she will be as well.  I have never called them children. I would rather claim them as siblings and, well, I gather I am gaining another one.  And if what I heard is right, the Whitlocks are going to expand big time,” he gives another side look to Steve, “though I won’t make you change your names.” He smirks at the end of the statement.  Though he does admit to himself that having Captain America as part of his family line impresses him.

A chuckle escapes Steve as he watches the frantic group. “What happens now?” The worry he is feeling is getting stronger, the more agitated they get.

Jasper nods to them with his chin. “If they don’t get their act together soon, I will end Bella’s torment with a bite.” He says this loud enough for everyone to hear.  There is also a hint of a growl in his voice to let them know how angry he is getting with them all.

“ENOUGH!”

 

Loki appears in the room and from his hand goes a blast to Bella.  She is encased in an energy field as he turns angrily to others. “Why is the Vampire the only one caring enough to end her torment?  You run around her doing nothing!” He is seething that these people, who claim to want to heal her, are leaving her in pain instead.

His own eyes flashing momentarily green, Banner, being the only one who can answer Loki, answers him, “We were trying to find out why all of sudden she collapsed. That way we know what to do to give her more time.” He admits to himself that stress is the reason his patient is not responding the way she should, making the Hulk want to come out, not Loki’s actions.

Shaking his head, Loki advises to them all. “You are out of time.  She has done what she needed to before we solve her problem.  Her Warrior is ready to come out.  Now, you need to get the serum ready for the three of them.” He stands there in front of Bella, guarding her against them wasting any more time fluttering around her doing nothing.

With a look between Steve and Banner, who looks at both Hanks, they all nod.  The room is a flurry of people moving with more purpose.  They start prepping areas, making sure that the tables are ready for Steve, and Bucky once they release him out of stasis.

 

Steve walks up on one side of Loki, Jasper is on the other side.  Not sure what is going on, Steve thanks the dark God, “Thanks for that.” For him to see that they had been doing nothing is telling of how panicked the group had become.  That the God of Lies had been the one to tell him, as well the others, the truth rings something inside of him.

Nodding, his eyes never leaving her, Loki confesses to them, “I had thought that Thor would be the lucky one to be her Warrior. I had hated him for that.  To find out that it is one of your best friends…made me feel oddly better.  Especially since I have seen how perfect he is for her.  Once he goes through this, he will be the ultimate warrior to keep her safe.  Every part of her will be safe.”

With that, Loki strides forward, getting into the mix of things as he pulls Banner and the Pryms off to the side to where the Beast is.  The five of them are soon looking through some diagrams as they call the vampires over to consult with them.

Seeing that he is not wanted, Steve heads out of the room.  He needs to calm himself, to relax.  He has no idea what is going on that he needs this serum as badly as Bella does.  Steve could admit that it may be able to help Bucky with everything that Hydra had done to him, but what exactly will it do to him?

He pauses in the hallway as he tries to make his mind up on where to stay so they will be able to easily find him but soon moves up to where Bucky is.  The room is still dark, with the fog rolling right outside the chamber.  Sighing, he heads into the room, using the quiet to think.

For once he doesn’t see Bucky. Always, when he enters a room his best friend is in that is the only thing he sees, but this time he walks right past Bucky.  His single-mindedness has him staring out the glass wall as he tries to put all the new information together.

Unable to be mad at Jasper, since he had not wanted to leave Bella, Steve is wondering what made it so these three are the ones who came.  And where are the others that caused all this to happen?  Will they be trying to find her, since one of them can see the future? All in all, Steve suspects that there is more to all this business and that Loki, and maybe T’Challa are the only two who are acutely aware of what is going on.

Before he can muse on these thoughts for long, a banging happens behind him, and he turns.  Only to see Bucky banging on the capsule with his one arm, gasping for air.

Steve is quick to action, bringing his fist back and punching through the glass, yelling for help.  He looks at Bucky whose eyes are wide open in shock as Bucky gasps out, “Where is she?” Before Steve can answer, the place swarms with people trying to find out what is going on.

* * *

The five individuals are staring into the room as Steve is pacing between the bed holding Bella, and the other bed holding Bucky.  Bucky had been jerking erratically until Hope had seen his face and realized that he was not in control of the movements and given him a tranquilizer strong put a bull elephant down, which barely calmed him down.

Seems Loki is right; the time has come.

Finally discussing the reason Steve had been confused about all this, Banner shakes his head, “I don’t understand what is wrong with Steve to have him undertake this risk as well.” He does not like to subject his friend to any pain or side effects that he doesn’t need to.

Leaning against the wall, Loki tells them, “He is required along with the other two to make it work.” He also wishes not to subject the Soldier to more pain, but if they don’t do this, then the two will not be as happy as they need to be.  Plus, Steve’s other half will have her own powers to keep up with Steve.

The Beast nods as he looks up from the microscope.  “They have the same mutation in their bodies.”  When they all look at him, he indicates a screen as he sends the information on Steve that he is finding. “Steve survived because of this odd mutation.  It made him what he is, along with that Serum.  However, in Steve’s body, the mutation initially made him sickly.  The serum had more to work with, and that is why it worked so well.” It had been one of the things that he had always wondered, and now, seeing the similarities in all three of them, helped him piece together that it had been that mutation that caused the serum to work on Steve and not on all the others who tried to replicate it.

It would have never worked if it hadn’t been through their family and the messed up experimentation that Zola had put Barnes through.  Even then, Hank is not sure that it would have worked.  Maybe the close contact the friends had would have been part of it too?

Then Bella’s scan shows up next to Steve’s. “While Bella has the same factor, her version is more advanced, which allowed for the shield she is now managing to wield to appear before the venom was ever introduced into her bloodstream.  However, the venom didn’t have as much to repair with her, so it is trying to go to the next step.” And he worries for the poor girl.  Hank has plans to keep an eye on her in the future.  For the pain levels she is showing, even encased in Loki’s power, is beyond anyone but Logan’s levels of pain tolerance.

Curious about their other patient, Hank asks, “What about the Winter Soldier?”

Tossing up another scan, Beast discloses to them, “According to his own records, Zola experimented with him using the serum he extracted from the Red Skull.  He also managed to get some of the Steve’s blood, which he then injected into Bucky.  All that gave Bucky the same mutation factor that the two others have.”  He shakes his proud blue head, “The pain he must have suffered from being given that was truly inhumane.  Look at what doing the same thing to Wade did.  It drove him crazy.”

The Beast is looking over the information he just received from the biochemist, who indicated that there were vials of Steve’s blood missing which they had found to be marked as tested, but there are no records of the testing done on it.  The information also indicated that the missing time would have allowed it to be shipped to Zola and then administered to Barnes while Zola had him.    In addition, they also found more vials missing after Barnes had fallen.  At that time, they had thought nothing of it.  Now Beast flinches at the thought of how much pain Barnes must have been in from the partial transformation.  All in all, he was actually luckier than most that the serum had been tested on.  And why he is the only one who ever received that particular mix of drugs and blood.

The others look through the information.  T’Challa asks, “How did he come out of Cryonics early?” It is something that bothers him.  After he had seen how they had all been manipulated, he had made an effort to talk with Sergeant Barnes before he had been frozen again.  One of the things he had been aware of that Steve was not, was that Barnes was in pain all the time.  He just learned to ignore it in order to function.

 

A snort interrupts them, and as one they turn to look at the vamp named Peter.   He lifts an eyebrow at them, “Bella did it.  When she did whatever she did to give him peace in his mind and the chance to not have others control him, it connected with him on a level the two of them operate at.”  He then nods to indicate the lab and Bella on the table, “Her reaction to the aftermath made him react and wake.  He cannot do anything, but anything that hurts her causes her danger, etc., etc., will cause him to come to her aid.  The man cannot help himself.  He has sacrificed so much for this chance with her.” Shrugging, Peter finishes, “She is his reward for it all, and to make sure he doesn’t fall into a depression too deep to be of help to us with what is coming.  So the Lady, as you call her, tied him to Bella when she shielded his brain.” He knew the next few weeks were not going to be easy for any of them, but at the same time, knowing what he did about their pasts, will make the time necessary.

Bella deserves her reactions, and they are grounded in real reasons.  Bucky will need to be patient and break down her walls in his own way.

In response to that information, Jasper groans and rubs his face, “Great.  From what I gather, Bella is fighting this whole thing as well.” Knowing her as he did, and her emotions he had felt since she arrived, he will have his work cut out for him.  She is blaming herself and in a pit of self-denial.

Nodding her head as she is working on prepping her cousin, Hope throws over her shoulder to the rest of them, “Who knows, maybe this is what she needs to understand what happened to her was not normal.  That because of that, she is afraid to give out her heart.” She shakes her head at her cousin, but at the same time, she understands what her cousin is going through. It had taken a lot for Hope to trust Scott.

 

A figure in light bursts into the room, making them all shade their eyes from the brightness.  When they can see again, they see Loki kneeling before her and hear her murmuring something to him. His head hangs lower, but he sighs and nods.  With that, she looks up at them all and smiles.  “Thank you all for gathering here.” She looks over the beings in the room that will defend the Earth as well as the universe.

She looks beyond Hope and sees her champions lying on the beds, their brother is pacing between them.  She sighs, “She is still fighting their fate isn’t she?” She had hoped that she wouldn’t but knew that Bella wouldn’t be Bella without being a stubborn person.

Looking at the three, then at the Lady in the room, Peter shrugs, then walks up beside her, “What did you expect with her history?  She has not had the best of luck, ever, trusting her heart to anyone.  They all seem to stomp on it.  Except for that young man right there,” he then indicates Steve, then continues, “He is the first one she has trusted that hasn’t thrown it back in her face.  But she is hesitant, still, in giving all her heart.”  Though she still does, and will, give her heart to those she thinks of as family.

The Lady looks at her oracle, and she smiles.  “Peter.  Nice to finally meet you.” She is delighted with the man who has helped so many of her plans come to completion.  Especially with his family, which will soon include her champions.  They will always fight beside them and be companions that will never leave them.

Unable to help himself, Peter chuckles as he nods back to her, “Nice to meet the one feeding me the information.  Though, I would like to talk to you about sending all the information and not the bits and pieces, Ma’am.” He looks down at her and grins innocently.

Thrilled with her oracle, she tells him, “But then you would get lazy.”  With the look he gives her, she laughs.  “I may designate that you are my font of information, but that doesn’t mean that I am the one who provides that information to you.  Most of the time, when you find out, so do I.  No one is intended to know all of the future.” She shrugs.  It had been much better for Peter to have the information first, then her who couldn’t act on it many times, while he didn’t have his hands tied as she did.

Grumbling, Jasper comments, “Tell that to a certain Pixie Bitch.”

The Beast interrupts what he could see would be a long discussion, “My Lady, can you tell me if we are on the right path?  As Loki reminded us, we don’t have much time left for Bella.” He is finished with his part but wants to make sure that there wasn’t a mistake.  They don’t get to have a second chance if this doesn’t work, nor do they have time to test the serum before they use it.

She turns and smiles at the man before her. “You are perfectly in the right place with both the serum and being here physically.  Steve had to happen, he is the only one who could have brought this group of people together, made this all possible.  Without him, this world would be in a worse place.  He needed to be there for my Warrior, to keep him sane until his Shield, his other half, could be there.  Now, you are required to administer the serum that will make them all equal to each other.  These three will protect the world.  Though I only planned on my Shield and Warrior. But the Soldier will only be more helpful to their jobs in the future.”

 

Hank Prym came to her as everyone scattered to get the serum into production.  The venom of the vampires had already been taken, and they had just been working on the serum to get it ready.  Once the venom and the serum are ready to be introduced, Loki will take over that last step. They each had their steps, and once they are done, they will go to see if they can help with the next steps.

So, while the rest are busy, Hank’s part is done, and he is aware that there are plenty around Bella and the others; he will only be in the way at this moment. But he wonders if this Lady will know what happened to his wife.

However, when he comes to her, she tells him gently, “Be patient.  Your story is not over.  Nor is your wife’s.  Right now, we are getting ready for a threat against my Shield and Warrior. Once they are through with this, your story will continue.  Don’t give up hope.” She smiles, laying her hand on him and infusing him with the hope he so desperately needs right now in order to keep going.

With that information, Hank straightens up, then nods.  “Thank you.”  He had been slightly dissuaded when Scott couldn’t remember his time in the Quantum Realm.

She turns back to him, having taken the chance to look over the steps being made, and admits to him, “I’m sorry all this has happened, but I promise this was the only way to leave you the free will to choose your life.  I could have controlled everything, but as my Warrior will tell you, I offer only choices.  I am not fate.  I work to her plans just as the rest of you do.” She has had enough to do with fate without actually being fate.  It won’t be until this is all over for them that they will know who she really is.

Silent for a few moments, taking in the movements around the three, Hank finally nods towards his niece, “Will she be ok or will I lose more family?” It is the one thing he has feared more than anything.  He really cannot stand any more of his family being hurt or lost.  Have they not sacrificed enough yet?

The lady turns to him and answers with the only response.  “It is up to her to choose.  We are doing what is needed to give her that choice, but it lays in her hands now.” She doesn’t pull any punches with him, letting him know it really does lay in Bella’s hands.

Sighing, Hank prays that his niece will make the right choice.

Hank is tired of losing family.

* * *

Final count: 4,016

**Fairfarren~**


	7. Such a Tired Game

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bella and Bucky finally talk face to face.

 

Pre-Edit Count – 2,157 Words

 _Song I listened to for this chapter: Fuckin’ Perfect_ by P!nk

* * *

_Previously:_

_Hank is tired of losing family._

_Now:_

* * *

After several hours of solid work where they tried to make no mistakes while, at the same time, working as fast as they could, Loki and the rest had done their parts.  Now under the direction of the Lady, the three are placed in the room by themselves, with only Bella and Bucky touching.  She had warned them all that there was going to be fireworks as well as they may all scream since the pain will be high, but none of them could interfere.

Of all of them, Steve had to be strapped down with some restraints that the Lady brought with her, telling him that if he breaks out of these and goes to interfere with the other two, the three vampires will be in here to restrain him.

What none but Loki know, is that when he infused their serum with the venom, she had helped add something to her two champions.  As she told Loki, if the worst happens and he is overtaken again, they will need a defense against that as well.

He had not been happy since she implied that there was more coming, that they will have more confrontations to come. But in his head, he is told that after it, there will be a chance.  A small one, but an opportunity for him to meet his Enchantress.

That had been what he needed to hear, and he swore that he would keep the worlds safe in order to make sure things like what happened to the Shield doesn’t happen to his Enchantress.  But he swore his loyalty again to the Shield, and the Lady blessed him, unknown to him since he does have his part to do.  Loki’s story is a side note to the main story, for her Shield’s and her Warrior’s stories are the endgame, which will involve the two of them in the end. 

It has always been one of her weaknesses, she never likes throwing away her tools when she is done with them.  She would rather reward them and have them live their lives than to discard them as others have done in the past. 

But now she waits with the others to see what her champions will choose to do.  She has given everything to them to make a choice.  With that thought and a prayer, she nods to the people waiting for the signal.

With a push of a button, the three individuals are injected with the new serum, and the world holds its breath to see what will happen.

* * *

 

Bella feels her pain escalate then suddenly she is in a park like the ones she had found in different areas her mother had moved her to.  She notices that she is sitting on a swing, the place is empty even though it feels like it should be busy.  It is also very, very quiet.

As she looks around, Bella suddenly hears someone walking on grass. The soft swoosh of well-watered grass, meaning that she is not in Arizona, and not helping her place the location more than that.

She turns to face the sound, and finds a clean-cut Bucky standing in front of her, in his hands some long grass he is shredding, his face looking around them.  He reminds her a lot of the Bucky she had seen in Steve’s pictures and the newsreels she had seen when she was younger that had shown them both.

 

He then turns to her and smiles. “Hi, I’m Bucky.” He has waited a long time for this moment and is nervous about meeting this Dame more than any other in his long life.  This one means something more than any other had in the past.  She is everything to him.

Bella cannot keep the smile from appearing as she answers, “Hi.”  Then she realizes that unlike her, he has no past references to be able to clue into who she is so she introduces herself, “My name is Bella.”

His smile widens and he tells her, “I know.  I woke up after you did whatever it was that helped me clear my mind.  Steve was a little shocked, but he told me as much as he could before they put me out.” His eyes move over her, taking in the differences, minute as they may be, from the version he had seen on the table, full of pain from all she has suffered because of the vampires.  Noting them in his mind, he is determined that she will resemble this pain-free version as soon as possible:  She shouldn’t return to it without him doing all he can to fix it.

When she realizes what he just said, Bella’s eyes widen, “Put you out?”  Bella can’t help but wonder why he would need to be restrained since her trick should make him safe again. It made her worry that maybe she had failed on her one mission.

Smiling ruefully as he realizes that he made her worry, Bucky then crouches down in front of her. As he pulls some more grass out of the ground, Bucky explains with his eyes mostly on her, but also looking around the park for any dangers, “I was in pain, seems I ripped myself out of Cryonics and hurt myself.  But I felt that you were in pain, so I needed to find you.” His eyes slide to watch her, to see her reaction to his admission.  He needed the grass to keep his fingers busy or else he would be doing something else:  He’d always had to hide his fidgets from everyone. He gathers a few flowers to use his nervousness to give his girl something.

Blinking in shock, Bella can’t help but ask, “Why?” Why would he rip himself out of Cryonics, why would he hurt himself, why did it matter that she was in pain, and why did he need to find her?  None of this is making any sense. Her eyes are drawn to his hands as she notices he is weaving a daisy chain.

Smiling down at his hands, Bucky answers her, “Because you are the one I have been waiting on.  I did much, suffered through much for this chance.” He shrugs as if dismissing the reasoning, because to him it didn’t matter.  He grabs another flower and weaves it into the chain.

Shocked, Bella becomes very still as she tries to understand what he means.

He nods to himself, knowing that he needs to explain more.  Bucky begins, “A Lady came here, well she came to me often, but she offered me choices.  I didn’t like them, but I understood that I did have control during a time I thought I was stripped of it altogether.” Frankly, now he can see it was the hope and the choices that didn’t make him worse than he is now.  Bucky would have had only had portions of his memory, as well as nothing being in the right order.  Whatever Hydra did had screwed up a lot of his mind, but this woman in front of him, and the Lady, made it possible for him to still have his mind intact.

He looks up into the trees surrounding them, his fingers still busy with their task, and Bucky bluntly confesses to her, “I hated my choices. I chose to allow a murderer to live before he committed his crimes to accept the deal to be able to be here now.  I had to _choose_ to kill my friend.  I had to _choose_ whether to kill a woman who wanted it, thought she deserved it.  But I left her alive.  The last one was my best friend.  The one who would never give up on me.  That one I liked but hated having to walk away from him at the end.  But the other choices would have allowed millions to die in New York City to start with.” He closes his eyes briefly in memory of all those that he had chosen to let die.  For now, he is grieving them, not the ones that he had no choice in killing nor the ones his actions caused suffering too.

Bella is shocked with his admissions, and without meaning to, she asks, “Who?  And what do you mean millions to die?” How could his decisions affect millions?  And who would put that on someone’s shoulders?  How would they be able to live knowing they had to make those choices on someone’s _life_?

Bucky looks down and, tying off the daisy chain, stands up to put it on her head before softly answering her. “I murdered Howard Stark and his wife.  Without their deaths, their son would not grow up to be Iron Man and save the world:  It was mainly New York City. At the time I had no other information, but I know now that the crisis was a nuke fired at the city to take care of a threat that the Avengers were already dealing with.  The second choice I made under her deal was on a woman called Black Widow.  She too was part of the group to save New York. The third I told you, though it was after New York, without him, I wouldn’t have had this chance to meet you.”  He pauses so he can ready himself to tell her the first-choice he ever made, the one that sent them on the road that led here.

Taking in the information, she finally whispers hoarsely, “You saved me too.” Bella’s eyes are wide with the realization that if it had not been for those two people, she would have been dead too.  So, his decisions saved her life as well.

Bucky jerks his head to hers, and demands from her, “Explain.” He still needs to know what she is telling him.  He had never been told that she was one of the lives that he had saved with his actions.  While Steve had been one that he had been upset with him slightly, he also acknowledged at the time that Steve’s hero complex would have him in any situation that meant their hometown would be at risk.

Swallowing, Bella remembers those days.  She shrugs as she tells him, “I was in New York City when all that happened.  Agent Coulson had asked me to come to reunite with a missing family member.  It happened to be at the time all that happened.  After being told there was someone in the main lobby of the building, Steve came to find me when I was hiding a bunch of children in Stark Tower under some security desks.  After that, it came out that he was the one I was invited to see, but since Coulson had died, he never had the chance to tell him that he had family there.” She remembers their conversation as they passed the time while they waited for someone to help them get the kids out of the area without being more traumatized with a fond smile.

Clenching his teeth, Bucky stares at the scenery, his mind and emotions rolling deep inside of him.  He finally takes a deep breath, and mutters, “Without making the right choices, you would have died.  I only made one selfish mistake with you so far.” He reminds himself, telling himself it didn’t matter, she is fine and right there in front of him.

With that Bella lifts her eyebrow to him, silently asking what was he talking about.

He sighs and then turns to crouch before her on the swing.  “My first choice, to show me the stakes and what was to happen was to save a sickly boy on his deathbed.  It had been right after I was born, but because of the circumstances, I had the choice to allow him to live long enough, or for him to die right then and there.  I found out that if he died, you would die before I ever got the chance to save you.  I left him alive, though I knew he would kill, he would go on and cause trouble, that he would hurt you worse than any mortal wound.  All because I wanted to meet you.” He is silently begging her to understand what he had done.  This is the moment Bucky was afraid that she would reject him, to know that he could have saved her from suffering, and didn’t.

Bella understood suddenly, and she whispers, “Edward.” Bucky had the chance to change her fate by not allowing him to be turned into a vampire?

He nods, still watching and hoping for the best, not wanting a clue of the worst.

Shaking her head, Bella asks Bucky, “Why would you want to meet me?” What would make her worth him doing all that to meet her?

He smiles at her, “Because I wanted to meet the one woman who would be my perfect equal.” He had not wanted to dream too much about her, knowing how much it can hurt to not meet those ideals.  But Bucky had held the hope of her against all the pain and suffering he had gone through.

She starts shaking her head, “There is so much wrong with me.  Edward leaving like he did messed me up big time.  You deserve more than me.” Nobody ever wants her.  Nobody ever has, except a forever teenager who wanted to mold her into what he thought he wanted. Nobody cared except when she got sick.  Why would this hero, this person who has his life to live now, free from all, save anything to do with her now that he is free?

Bucky shakes his head, denying her.  While there might be things wrong with her, what could he complain about when she had to deal with his history and issues?

Getting angry at him, Bella jumps off the swing, shouting, “I am nothing!  Everything and everyone leaves me.  My parents didn’t care about me until I was sick.  I don’t have a heart to give anyone because it was torn from me. You deserve someone who is whole and will love you.  The Lady is wrong, and no matter how many times I told her this, she just smiled and ignored me.  I agreed to help to free you since no one deserves to have others tell them what to do and you couldn’t fight them,”  She yells at him.  Frustrated that here was another telling her that she will be his. Bella felt that there was no time left and feeling so rushed is making her yell at him instead of being calmer like normal. Like how Steve and her new expanded family had taken a chance to show her to control the pain.

Bucky takes her comments, and when she went to grab something, he steps forward and takes her hands in his. “You are perfect to me.  I don’t want some woman who never went through hell on her own.  How would she understand what it was like when I had no control?  How would she be able to forgive me for all the death I caused?  So Edward tore out your heart.  We will work together to get it back.  I too have so many heartbreaks that the only thing left in life for me is Steve and you.  You are important to me, even if not to anyone else.  You are the one that has gone through lived life after the bad decisions I made.  The bad I caused.  I did so much to take apart this world, that only the chance of you forgiving me has me able to agree to keep going.” His blue eyes search hers, looking for understanding.

When Bucky’s words find a resonance in the woman in front of him, he can see it in her brown eyes. “I just want to make sure you are safe, that you have the time to find yourself.  I have faced down my demons, and am more than willing to meet yours with you.  But only if you can give me a chance.”

Kneeling before her, Bucky asks her, “Are you willing to give this broken man a chance?  An opportunity to prove that I will never leave you, that I will love you and never hold back.  To be the perfect choice for you, the only one I want to be ideal for.  Will you do that?” He stares into her eyes, begging her to give him that chance as he lays it all out at her feet, letting her know what she is going to receive by accepting him.

At that second, it seems everything in the world is waiting for her answer and Bella’s tears fall. “It’s not that easy.  It’s never that easy.” She shakes her head remembering how hard being with Edward had been.  She had to fight to stay by his side.  Everything, including Edward himself, seemed to get in the way.

Smiling at her, Bucky lets go of one of her hands to wipe the tears off her face gently. He knows what she is talking about, and explains to her softly, “This time it really is.  Think about it.  How much hatred and pain are out there?  How often are we told that there is one person who will understand?  Already our souls know their other half. Our hearts even know, but our minds are the enemy.  Your mind is telling you that you are less than perfect, that there will never be someone that you are worthy enough for.  But don’t you think I think the same of you?  That I am not perfect for you, worthy of having such a beautiful woman have anything to do with me, but kill me?  I have done so much that I regret, even though I wasn’t in control.   But at the same time, I did choose some of what happened, and I will live with that guilt, as well as the guilt of seeing so much pain that I caused with my own hands.”

He cups her jaw with the one hand as he brings her hand to his heart, “Will you give me a chance?  Will you allow me to show you that we are worth it?  That we can break out of this game of self-doubt?  Will you allow me a chance to love you, and to gain your love for myself?” He is begging, not too proud to do anything to get the chance that he thinks they both deserve after talking with her.

She shakes her head, “How could you love me?  You don’t know me!” No one can fall in love with her!  Those that knew her in the past have all left her, as she forgets those that have surrounded her and stood by her.  All her mind is remembering is all those years of loneliness before.

He gives her a sad smile, “But I do, Bella.  Did I not explain what you are thinking?” Bella is right, he does not love her exactly, but he understands her, and that is starting that feeling in him.  He knows that it will grow, and Bucky is eager for it.

When she swallows and nods, he tells her sincerely, “I will give you all the time in the world.  And I can love you all I want, for it is my heart, my feelings.  It may be small, but I can say with certainty that it will only grow as I get to know you more.  For you are perfect to me, I just wish the chance to prove that I am the same to you.” He explains to her, making sure that she understands how he feels.  And that she has no right to tell him how he feels.

Closing her eyes, Bella finally _understands_ what he was saying all this time, and she answers him, “Yes.”

* * *

The serum infusion had gone smoothly for Steve, and he was gasping from the effects, but he is done with the change.  He sits up and looks over at his sister and Bucky.  He had heard nothing but a short scream from Bella, but now that he is up, he can smell and see her tears falling down her face.

Before anything can happen, a pulse of light occurs from where she and Bucky are touching and then it pulses again, taking over the two.  It pulses a few more times, then it goes away.

He can’t help but ask, “Are they okay?” He hears nothing from them which would indicate the pain he had suffered from in the past was present, and he cannot help but be worried that something had not worked right. Neither are reacting as he had in the past.  As much as he knows and respects the two for their strength, not to hear anything worries him.

The Lady appears beside him, and with tears on her face, answers him, “They are perfect.” Finally, there is hope for them and the rest of the universe.

* * *

Final count: 3,535

Fairfarren~


End file.
